Reconnecting
by MysticMew
Summary: Set two months after “Wrecked”. Buffy still struggles with life and Spike, Dawn feels neglected, Willow is heartbroken. Tara is worried and calls Giles for help. A new person is brought into the life of the Scoobies who will make quite an impact. P2 U
1. Default Chapter

Title: Reconnecting (1/?)

Author: Mystic Mew (Solarsenshi@gmx.de)

Status: Incomplete, Alpha

Rating: R (most likely)

Category: Crossover/Dark/Romance

Pairings: Buffy/Lina, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya

Summary: Set two months after "Wrecked". Buffy still struggles with life and Spike, Dawn feels neglected, Willow is heartbroken. Tara is worried and calls Giles for help. A new person is brought into the life of the Scoobies who will make quite an impact.

Distribution: Buffy Wants Willow and Magikal Three lists, www.fanfiction.net, www.mediaminer.org. Any others not yet decided. If you are interested please ask and you can have it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, the Vampire Slayer nor do I own the characters of Slayers. This is a work of fiction and is done for the simple purpose of the joy of writing. So don't sue me.

Legal Disclaimer: This work of art will include graphical description of violence and intimacy between both genders to a degree. If that is illegal or you have moral issues with this, run away as long as you still can. The author does not take responsibility if you chose to ignore this warning.

Author's Note

Blame this one on Maia… *glares at muse* I think she got the idea while I read Hunter's Season Six Reset and it somehow stuck. I really have WAY too much stories in progress already. *sigh*

Anyway. This is not quite what I usually write. Being a rather stern Buffy/Willow shipper the only acceptable for me to write are triad fics, so this one is a first for me. There will probably be mentioning of a Buffy/Willow theme but it won't be a primary focus.

Unlike in Upon the Sea of Chaos this crossover is more focused on the Buffyverse (at the start at least). You should not have that much problems with the Slayers characters since it is mostly Lina. I hope you enjoy. I'm writing this one out of a whim, so expect a lot of twists that probably will surprise me more as you. And now enjoy.

Prologue

Several months previous

The night sky was lit by flashes of lightning, but no thunder followed. The dark clouds were thick but no rain was falling. The wind had long past turned into a storm and yet the ocean below did not betray its calm, not a single wave crashed against the rocky cliffs. The world stood still and was in an uproar at the same time tonight. Several thousand miles, wide across the ocean in a world few knew – the same held true for those living in the outside world – an act of utter blasphemy and yet necessity was performed. An act that made this countries' struggles mere squabbles.

In a small town that nonetheless held one of the highest magical and demonic concentrations possible the ritual to bring back the warrior of the people was slowly drawing to a close. A pity that it would be interrupted. That would prove a lot of problems for the group. Of course I could have warned them. But where was the fun in that? Nah, I don't fancy myself as a good guy after all. I just did what I am told to do… With a little fun.

A streak of blue crawled like a snake around a pillar down from the sky. Another thunderbolt struck mere feet away from my position atop a stone monolith but I did not even blink. There was no danger for me here. Another flash and the sky that had opened up in a circular hole was filling up again. All was quiet for a while before the first rain drops started and the waves began to rise, no lightning bolts anymore though. It was done.

"Now the stage is set." I smiled a serene smile that others might have interpreted as a manic grin. Petty differences. "Hmm," I mused thoughtfully, "this should be interesting." And with that I tapped my staff on the stone and vanished.

Reconnecting

By Matthias

A BtVS/Slayers Crossover

England (Giles)

Jolted from rather pleasant dreams it took my mind a few seconds to make out the source of the interruption. It turned out to be the ringing of my phone. Grumbling I clicked on the light and grabbed the receiver, swearing silently that if whoever called me at this unholy hour better had a very good reason. "Yes?" I snapped bluntly. The line on the other end was silent and I was about to inquire again, then a very timid voice asked: "G-Giles… I-It's me, T-Tara." Yes, apparently so. The stutter was sort of a giveaway. God, I probably had frightened the girl to death. Good move, Rupert. Deciding it was no time for self-loathing I sat up trying to clear my mind from any remaining traces of sleep.

"Um… I-I didn't mean to w-wake you… I-I c-can c-call later, if…" Something was wrong here. I hadn't seen or heard the other witch so nervous since the first time Willow brought her over. Which meant that something drastically must have happened. But if it was something concerning the Hellmouth Buffy would have called, right? "No, it's alright, Tara. I haven't been sleeping yet," I lied, trying to ease the other girl up a little. "What can I do for you? Is everything alright with you over there?" I asked, concern clearly shown in my voice.

Again a period of silence followed and my worry increased again. "Yes, everything is f-fine and e-everyone is w-well but…" Tara stopped in mid-ramble. "No, actually everything is falling apart over here." So much for the hope of a continued good night's rest. I had struggled with my decision to leave them and had hoped that the necessity for independence would bring Buffy out of her shell. Had I misjudged her inner strength so badly? Did she really not want to live anymore? And could I really blame her?

"But this is not really about us, it's more about… Willow…" Tara's voice trailed of again and one could clearly hear the pain. After the last Tabula Rasa spell from Willow a breakup between the two witches was inevitable. Again I had hoped that would bring the redhead to see reason. Maybe we both had been too optimistic. "She… She's really bad, Giles, and… I don't know what to do…" The wicca slowly related the events after I had left Sunnydale or at least what she had heard from Buffy.

At the end I was rubbing my temples with one hand and desperately longed for a cup of tea. Willow had finally de-rated Amy, associated briefly with a magic dealer and nearly got Dawn killed in the process… And now she was struggling with withdrawal. By now Tara's voice was shaking and somewhat frantic. "I-I saw her just yesterday. Buffy told me she was trying but I found her crying on a bench and there was magic dancing everywhere around her." I bit my bottom lip. From all the scenarios I had dreaded this the worst. And it did not help that my own guilt was tearing me apart. I had seen the change coming for sometime now but was reluctant to ensure the proper steps. Reluctant because of my own past.

"She needs help, Giles." The wiccan's voice was small now, barely above a whisper. "I… can't you… I mean… We need you back here. Not only Willow but Buffy too." I sighed wearily. There was something the other woman wasn't telling me but I would not press that matter now. Quite frankly Tara was the last of the Scoobies I had expected to call me anytime soon. And the fact that it was her only served to underline how bad it really was. I never wanted to leave in the first place anyway but had thought it to be the best choice back then. Now over two months later, I had settled somewhat in the peacefulness of retirement. However, truth be told I thought constantly about them. I missed my family.

"Alright then. I will see what I can do."

"You are coming back?" The surprise was overriding her emotions for now and I was glad for that. Laughing softly, I answered, reaching for a hidden drawer and pulling out a small notebook, a decision slowly beginning to form. "Yes, Tara, I will. I need to make some preparations first. I don't think though I can be of much help with Willow." Not without setting Ripper free… Tara's voice immediately cracked as she began to form a protest or voice her disappointed. "But I know someone who can," I interjected quickly. "Really?" the wiccan asked hopeful again.

I opened the notebook and traced a name with my fingertip. A name to a person I had not seen in almost five years. "I sent her over to you as soon as possible."

Sunnydale (Willow)

The ally was as dark as the night's sky and for the thousand's time I wondered why I was out. I should be home wallowing in self-pity and concentrate on withdrawal. But that was the problem, wasn't it? It didn't work. I tried. Goddess, did I try but the need and craving was eating away at me. The tremors and occasional blood were the least problem – not that anyone would ever notice those days. No, it was the unbearable temptation always lingering on a hair's length away from my grasp. This was nothing like a drug addiction that you could just steel yourself against and get through it. I think that I could have managed. But all the power, the magic it was consuming and foremost demanding. I was stuck, either lose myself in the darkness or slowly getting eaten by the hunger. I could not turn back anymore. And no one was there to help. _And how is that not your own fault, Rosenberg?_

I sighed at the bitter irony of the whole situation. Why was I here again. I didn't even know that anymore. I was just here… for what reason ever. Blackouts and sudden, unconscious reactions were the norm these days. No one really noticed and I didn't want anyone to notice. They shouldn't see me in this state. Not Buffy who wouldn't care anyway or Dawn who probably hated me. Tara especially. I didn't want her pity. Not when I didn't deserve it.

Through those past months of withdrawal it had become brutally clear to me how much I had messed up our relationship and how close I had gotten to what we usually defined as evil. Withdrawal. I chuckled bitterly. There was no withdrawal. It was only the pending between being ripped apart from the inside and pretending to be strong and not touching one magic book anymore. I think I didn't even need a book anymore with the level I had acquired.

And yet, I was still selfish and a bit angry myself. I still could not understand why Tara left. Yes, I had wronged her but did I not deserve a break myself. Hadn't we all made mistakes in the past and still managed to look over them, work them out. What was wrong now? Why was everything so… sad? Tara should have stayed, we could have worked that out, we… Without her I didn't know if I possessed the strength to overcome this. I missed her calming presence, the connection we shared, her grounding in the magic.

However, had I even the right to earn her forgiveness? I was confused, bitterness and anger battled in my heart. Had I always taken Tara for granted? Had I always taken Buffy for granted? Was that why I had so desperately clung onto the idea to raise her from the dead… Rip her out of heaven.

A tingle of something familiar grazed my senses and I shuddered at the stench of darkness. Tentatively I made another step and suddenly found myself in a dimly-lit room, a few "people" slumped in the room's furniture. All my survival instincts screamed for me to turn around and run, run as far away from this place as possible. Instead I simply stood there, not really caring nor noticing that the door at the other end had opened.

"Hello, Strawberry, came back for more?" I cringed at the voice. Of course he knew I was here the moment I passed the barrier. Keeping my head down I tried to move but my legs wouldn't obey. My body screamed in need. In need for anything to fill this hole inside of me… But I couldn't, not here, not from him… Not again… "N-No…" I pressed out and finally found the strength to move but froze again at the hand of my shoulder, sending a jolt of energy through me. "Don't…" I pleaded but knew it was fruitless.

"Oh, but you DO want me to…" Rack breathed into my ear, the logical part of my brain slowly losing the last ounce of control and giving away to the desperate craving…

England, the next morning

"Flight 546 to Los Angels in twenty minutes," rang the monotone voice over the speakers, resounding loudly over the early morning rush of passengers crowding the halls. Actually it wasn't really that crowded and that was basically part of the problem. Seeing as it was approximately… five thirty-six in the morning and that was the first flight to LA was wrecking my nerves, not to mention my sanity.

"I hate airports," I mumbled, picking up my bags and grunting under the weight of hurriedly crammed suitcases. "I swear to you, Rupert, if I weren't in your debt, I would have toasted you over an open fire," I swore loudly, not caring if anyone hurt. Looking around I saw no one looking at me and made a hand gesture towards the offending suitcases and they vanished in a sparkle of red dust.

Picking up a brisk piece I passed the check-in procedures, receiving and ignoring odd looks why I had no luggage at all, while continuing to rant: "Really, waking me up at three in the morning and then expecting me to get on the first flight. You always were one for last minutes decisions, were you? If that girl had been my charge I would have never let her drift so far…" A wave of dizziness brought me almost tumbling. "Bloody Hell!" I clearly had not have enough sleep, had barely gotten in three hours before being roused rather unpleasantly.

If it had been any other than Rupert Giles asking me of this favor I would have sought them out the next day and gave them a piece of my mind. Backed up by at least one fireball. However, as much as I wanted to hate him right now, I owed the stoic Englishman my life. In more than one way. We could not downright be defined as friends, not even acquaints. I hadn't even heard of the man ever since he had returned to England. No, Rupert in a way had been my savior than my life had looked so bad that I thought not the lowest rat on Earth would give a damn. And for that I would be forever grateful. I could loath and all those things but in the end, if he had asked me to descend to hell and lift the whole damn thing I would have done it.

And that was why he asked me. Because he knew I had been where this girl was now. Much more than even he might have been. And I could not blame him that he was scared to go through the whole thing again… "Like a damn tradition…" I muttered, shaking my head and plopping down on my empty seat. The other one was unoccupied and would stay that way for which I was grateful.

It would be another ten minutes before the airplane would take off for LA, from where I could get a ride to my destination. Maybe I should even fly there. The modern technology of this part of the world always made me wary. Usually I didn't trust anything but my own feet and spells for transportation. But maintaining a Raywing bubble for the whole distance with my lack of sleep? Nah… I would be drained before I even reached the East Coast.

With a flick of my wrist I retrieved the folder of papers Giles had sent me on the case. I had been curious to meet the group of brave children he was so fond of but it was never really a pressure that had to be explored. I had briefly flipped through some of his descriptions and the obvious hastily put down summary of the phone call he had gotten this morning.

Frankly, just from a few things I could already see that I could not afford to wait for him and travel together. This case needed to be dealt with immediately. I could only judge the condition of the subject but if there was already mention of a magic dealer from her mate. No, certainly. Willow Rosenberg had the potential to be a lot of trouble and that was not even considering the fact that I had to operate upon a Hellmouth… Gah, I really hate you Rupert.

Resigning myself to my fate, I began to go more thoroughly through the stack of papers, trying to be as prepared as possible. Then we were up in the air I could get some sleep in. Some really needed sleep.

Sunnydale (Anya)

Man, I hated them. Arrogant, impudent and egoistically, self-righteous and prideful over the top. They always thought they were right even though they were totally out of their metier. It was days like this that I loathed to be human again and following all those dumb rules about being cultivate, civil and nice to customers. Problem was I loved that shop – and the money – and I wanted to keep my customer. But there the hell did they get off thinking they knew my job better than me? I was not an amateur, I was… had been a thousand year old vengeance demon… Really, if I still had my powers they would…

Never mind that though. I was marrying such a specimen of loathed gender in a few weeks. A soft smile came to my lips as I once again went over the records of last month in the relative quiet of late afternoon. Income had increased somewhat even with the absence of Willow and often rather listless Tara to help. They might not believe it but of all the people in the gang I worried for them the most. This whole mess had started with Buffy jumping off that tower and we had yet failed to recover. You could practically feel the tension between them every time they were in the same room and it was clearly written all over their faces that both were guilty for a lot of the pain caused between them.

Though I had never cared much for Willow and admittedly we would probably never be blood sisters or something like that, I in particular could understand what she was going through. That craving for power, the constant struggle and thirst. I had experienced it all and it still followed me until now. The redhead would not get away from it. The need would always be there. Power was not something to play with and then throw away again. Power was all about prices, it was demanding and refused to just crawl back where it came from. Hopefully Willow would be able to find a better focus for it than I had at that time…

Poor Xander practically had a heart attack than I told him that we could prolong the wedding for awhile until everything had calmed down again, at least to reasonable Sunnydale levels. In that past months ever since the incident with Rack – god, I should have turned him into a worm when I had the chance but had taken pity on him then – I had done some serious thinking. That little duet during the music demon kept coming back again and again when I thought about the impending wedding and what that meant for us. What it meant especially for Xander.

Petrified, he had said that he was petrified. And I could try to convince myself as much as I wanted, I was scared as well. There was no denying it. I knew the track record of relationships in the gang… perhaps Sunnydale as a whole and I don't think I could bear to be hurt like that. Hurt like that again…

It had been so long since I allowed myself to think about my time before I was a demon. There were a lot of fond but also some very depressing memories. It had hit me then with an absolute clarity that left me breathless. Xander was not ready. I believed him that he wanted to marry me, more than I ever had believed in a man ever in my life, but he was not ready. And if it took canceling the wedding, I would do it. Otherwise the pain would surely drive me back where I had been the last thousand years. I didn't want to chance this. Not again.

Brought out of my silent revere I looked up at the bell's chiming sound and nearly fell over from surprise. I, Anya soon-to-be Harris, former vengeance demon was literally shocked into silence at the figure now stepping up to the counter with a pleasant and in all calming smile on his face. He was tall, with a very muscular but lean frame, dark blonde hair that I knew was actually a mixture of ebony-gold, just hidden from human sight. He wore a thin leather jacket and matching dark-brown pants. I recognized him immediately, even after almost a millennia. No one who had ever met one of his kin would ever forget it.

"Daryial?" I finally squeaked out. The man cocked his head and his smile never wavered. "Hello, Anya, it is so nice to see you again. Human and all I mean. But there is no time for small-talk, sadly." I didn't dare to move when he leaned forward over the counter and whispered into my ear. "The connection is severed, the portal opens and the lady weeps." It was a miracle I didn't faint at the implications the simple statement held. So much for any wedding plans, ever…

(Buffy)

Too small? Phew… What the heck did they think the martial arts were supposed to do? Making those physically weaker able to defend themselves. Well, at least that was one point. Heh, I had shown them exactly why you should not underestimate an opponent, ever. Maybe I did come a bit too tough of an impression though. They sent me home and said they would think about it and call me tomorrow. Alright, maybe smashing the two top instructors simultaneously threw the ring was laid a little thick but they had asked for it. Should they stuff their pride for once, I had my own.

Pride. There was at least an emotion that wasn't totally shameful like… No, let's not go there.

Quite frankly the lady from social service this morning had caught me totally off guard. After telling me in no uncertain terms that my life was a total mess, my income zero and nada and my bills towering up to the ceiling of the first floor and that under this circumstances this was no environment for a teenage girl that had rattled something in me.

They couldn't take Dawn. They could take me or whatever but not her. She had her life her, people who cared for her. And nowhere she could be protected better from any danger than here. The prospect of maybe losing Dawn. It had yanked me away the first time Willow had almost gotten her killed in that incident but recently I had slumped back into that deep, black pit. I still lacked feeling, my drive to live and that made me unable to response properly to all what was going on around me.

The funny thing was, I saw it all, the struggle in Willow that I maybe understood more than a lot of people, how the breakup hurt both her and Tara, Dawn's loneliness. However, I did not trust myself to approach either problem. The compassion I deemed necessary for trying to fix things was not there as it should be and without it, I didn't know if I was strong enough to face the emotional scars left behind by recent events.

How could I response to this, to any of their problems, how could I be the friend they needed or expect them to be the friends I needed so desperately when I didn't feel… anything. Nothing at all. For months I had dwelled on and on, not knowing what to do with a life I didn't want… No, that wasn't right. On a basic level I wanted to live but I could not find an anchor. Every time I tried to talk to one of the Scoobies about this, I had only felt hollow, a dark hole where my soul should be. Was Spike right after all? Did I come back wrong?

No, I shook my head vehemently. No, Tara said where was nothing wrong with the spell. I smiled slightly at the irony that it had been the shy wiccan I entrusted with my recent undead tryst and the feelings of shame and guilt that were about everything the unwanted yet primal encounters left within me. In a way Tara seemed to have become sort of a mother figure for all of us and I think everyone started to realize that, now that she wasn't constantly around anymore. Maybe Tara was just the easiest person to connect to right now. She didn't judge quickly and never held anything against you. If I told the others what I told her in the last days, Xander would probably freak and Willow… I honestly didn't know what Willow would do anymore.

Her mood swings were only one thing. I tried a few times to at least get through to her as hard as it was for me but she proved as withdrawn most of the time as I was lacking the ability to express my feelings. Her g… ex-girlfriend though had readily dived right back into the spell even though I knew that my behavior concerning Spike was only my fault and I only searched for an excuse.

Back to the pride thing. First of it was the concern for Dawn that had even made me consider Tara's suggestion from a few days ago. It had been a casual comment but the question had stuck: Why not use my skills to make some money. I had dismissed it then but after the close call this morning I knew that I had to do something or lose my sister to either my wayward father or some family. Neither had any idea how to handle the temperamental teenager nor protect the Key from danger.

So I had checked out that self-defense thing on campus that the blonde wiccan had pointed me to. And then they had the audacity to disregard me downright because of my built… That had snapped something in me. It was only a tiny spark but maybe I was finally starting to get back some resemblance of order in my life.

While I walked down the street back home I didn't realize that I was subconsciously humming some sort of melody…

(Tara)

Deeply troubled over the earlier call from Buffy about that social worker I made my way to the Magic Box, guilt rising inside of me when I realized that I had been expected to work today and it barely was a few hours to closing. Anya had been surprisingly understanding, almost subdued at times. I knew Xander and her had prolonged their wedding plans for the moment. That coming from the ex-demon had not only surprised her fiancé that was for sure. Apparently there was a lot more to the human Anya that anyone knew about or the girl let on.

Buffy's troubles had only added to my own worries and conflicted thoughts. Ever since spotting Willow a few days ago I had felt a slowly rising pain creeping into my heart and settling down there. She had looked so lost and vulnerable. Even though she had obviously just received some sort of recharge, my ex-girlfriend hadn't done anything. Just sat on a bench and stared into nothing. And I had just stood there, not daring to approach. Maybe Buffy wasn't the only one who was desperately searching to reconnect with the world and her friends again. In a way I did that too.

Willow was my anchor, there was no doubt about that. Without her everything only felt dark and lonely like before. Willow had opened my heart and practically stole my heart and soul before I could register. That was why it hurt so much. And that was why I should have stayed and worked it out as well… Now, I just didn't know how to reach the one constant light in my life anymore. She had become almost a stranger to me and I was frantic with helplessness how to make things right again.

Entering the shop quietly through the backdoor, concerns were flung right out of the window for a moment when the voice of a very agitated Anya and a deep, relatively quiet voice filtered into the back. I felt… something. A presence very powerful and ancient, yet failed to perceive its true nature. Whoever was broadcasting such an aura over the place was probably able to shield himself well enough. And the thought alone that this much power was suppressed made me shudder with foreboding dread.

I peaked around the corner to the main section. "Uh… hi, I'm sorry but I got hold up…" Anya spun around, her nerves clearly as tense a bowstring. I almost jumped at her reaction but managed to stay calm somehow. Anya sighed heavily, falling back into a chair. She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't mention it. It's not that it matters anymore." That really got my attention. All of us knew that if it was one thing that Anya had developed a maniac obsession with ever since they took over the shop was money. And me being late to work almost always ended in some sort of scolding. Yes, she had been surprisingly forgiving these past months but this nonchalant, plainly defeated look…

"W-What do you m-mean?" I couldn't help the stutter. The shop keeper's behavior was laced with more than her usual bluntness and simple look on things. Anya could get easily excited or depressed about something. This was not a harmless fit. My eye's moved over to the other figure standing calm behind the counter, his eyes fixed on both us. The moment I made contact with them, I almost trembled from the intensity reflected in this deep blue eyes with a tint of… gold?

"Greetings, fair maiden," the stranger spoke the first time. "My name is Daryial and I fear that Anyanka… Pardon me, Anya here did take them rather bad." Uh huh. "Although I would lie if I say those news are anything less than cheerful." Anya glared at him. "Less than cheerful? Are you trying to kid us? We are all going to die and I will never marry Xander!" I wondered if she would break down and cry now but surprisingly she just sat there angrily glaring at anyone and anything crossing her line of vision. By now I felt rather left out of the whole conversation since I had no idea what exactly they were talking about. "Ah, not to be r-rude or anything but could s-someone t-tell me what's going on?"

The man smiled his serene smile that somehow disturbed me more than Anya's clear agitation did. "Certainly. Though I hope you don't jump to conclusions like my old friend here." Again Anya snarled, interrupting any sort of explanation. "Not jump to conclusions? She's wiccan, she damn well knows what The Crossing entails."

The man's smile turned into a frown finally when Anya's words began to register in my brain and… Well, there's no nice way to put it. I guess I downright fainted.

(Dawn)

The house was empty and silent while I sat in the living room, listlessly watching some horror flick that I wasn't even old enough for I guess. Alone, I was alone again. Tara had said she'd come over tonight but hadn't shown up yet – Anya probably let her work extra hours again. Buffy was out slaying, taking longer than normal as ever since her return. Willow was… Somewhere. I had no idea and I didn't even care. We were still on no speaking terms since the accident. I knew I was overreacting and that the redhead had a hard time herself but I couldn't help but feel angry. Not only at her but at Buffy too. She should have noticed and done something. They were friends after all, weren't they?

God, who was I kidding? Two nights ago I had heard Willow crying in her room and it took everything not to just rush in there and hold her. And Buffy? I didn't really understand her anymore. I thought I used to do, I really did. During that time with Glory we had been closer than ever. I still had nightmares from that time when she jumped into the portal. It should have been me. It was SUPPOSED to me. I knew I was supposed to close the circle that making me human had begun. But Buffy had taken this duty from me because she wanted to. What once had driven her as the Slayer to go out there day by day was gone. And now she couldn't find it again. How could I blame her for feeling betrayed and not wanting to live anymore.

I couldn't help being selfish though and on a basic level hated myself for being all bitchy. Instead of being there for her, I was just focusing on my own demands and needs, we all were in a way. Everything was just so messed up and I hated feeling so unimportant. Buffy had told me to be strong but I wasn't strong. I couldn't be, not without her… I couldn't even be strong for her. I should have jumped before she even had a chance to react.

"Ah, boring," I groaned and clicked of the television. That movie wasn't even scary. I know it was meant to be that way, yet living on a Hellmouth only made you laugh at such attempts at best. Looking out of the window I hoped to catch a glimpse of my sister coming home. Or even Willow. Anyone to not feel so alone. So excluded and… not belonging.

What was I doing here anyway? At one point I had believed Buffy when she said that I was her sister and that was what mattered. That I was a human being with a life and not just a… thing. Essentially though I WAS the Key. I hadn't allowed myself to think that in a long time. However, lately I was wondering what my purpose was in this world. Everyone just seemed to worry about me whenever I was in danger. Then they came running but after that… See, I was selfish again. A selfish thing-turned-teenager. That wasn't a healthy combination to begin with. Couldn't they have made me… older or something? I guess not.

"That sucks," I mumbled, deciding to go to bed. I didn't believe anyone would come home until late at night or possibly morning. Just then I was about to turn away and head up the stairs, I thought I had caught a movement. Staring intently I blinked as a figure stumbled into the light of the street lantern in front of our house. It took me several minutes to identify the miserable shape of a barely recognizable human being but when I did, I was already halfway out of the door.

(Xander)

"Ah man, I just want a bed now." This last job was exhausting, I tell you, and we had been working overtime to get it done today. Now I had at least a few days free before the next assignment. Sure, I loved my job but at the moment I think about ten hours of sleep were in order. Anya would probably be pouting at the lack of… No, I so not wanted to go there.

Yes, my fiancée's offer to postpone the wedding for awhile had literally blown me out of my shoes. I had know for some time now that there was a softer side to the ex-demon. Something that was more human than demon. That was why I mustered the courage to propose in the first place. And that was why I think that our relationship was stable, maybe the most stable one in the gang at the moment… Not, that anyone else had a relationship that is. I mean, there others would see a temporary canceled wedding as a setback, for us it was more like another step towards a better understanding.

"Now if we could just fix Willow and Tara and find Buffy a nice boyfriend… God, listen to you, Harris, you sound like… like…" I opened the door to our apartment, noticing that Anya obviously wasn't there yet. Nonetheless the lights were on and there was a stranger sitting on the living room table. "Like a babbling idiot?" The unfamiliar man that for some reason screamed demon finished.

Geez, why on Earth would I think that. Maybe it was the suspicious robe or the long staff or the PURPLE hair? Maybe it was just that smile that looked like it wanted to be wiped from his face. "Idiot was not exactly what I was aiming for, no." The man looked offended for a moment. "Tsk, tsk, such dark thoughts. Do I really look so suspicious?" I stared at him and he looked down at himself. "Hmm, I suppose I do. I think I'm losing my charm. After all we Mazoku aren't totally immune to age. Ask your fiancée about it." With that he let his staff vanish and he vaulted himself from a table into a nearby chair, his hair darkening until it was almost black. "Better?"

I stood there, closing the door slowly behind me and crossed my arms. "Alright. See, buddy, I had a long day and I'm not up to jokes, especially not on my account. So if you are one of An's old buddies, she is not here yet and our wedding has been temporally canceled. So, if you would excuse me now." The guy, demon, whatever eyed me seemingly casual and bored. "Oh no, you misunderstand me, Mister Harris. This has nothing to do with my ex." I glared at him, not sure if he was trying to aggravate me or telling the truth. "And what is it then that you want, Mister Cryptic." I didn't even bother asking for a name. Obviously I would not get an answer anyway.

The guy smiled at me, as if knowing exactly what I was thinking, then he put a finger under his chin, staring up at the ceiling as if contemplating an answer. "Hmm, that… is a secret." I grasped the wall for support and blinked twice. "Uh…" The man that looked like a priest with that robe laughed and got up from the chair to walk over to me. Normally I would have done something by now but for some reason I seemed transfixed by his movements. He got very close and when we were face to face, he said in a deathly quiet tone. "What _I_ want is not important and no one shall know that except the Lady. No, that questions of a wedding or how messed up your lives are will soon be the least of your problems. The Crossing is in immediate reach and you are right in the center of it." Why did I think that did sound bad? Because it DID sound VERY bad. "'A warrior of light and mage of dark, two bond in spirit, a human and a demon soul. They who face hell day by day, no fear they know.' Mark my words, time is running out for you. Consult your Watcher on this. He will know the right text." The man stepped away and the staff landed back in his hand. "Maybe you still have a chance after all. That is if the red witch lives through this night…" I think my blood ran cold at his amused chuckle. "That will be fun." And with that he vanished but before I could sink to my knees, he reappeared one last time. "Oh, tell Anyanka Xellos said 'hi'!"

Why was I shaking? I mean I had heard enough prophecies and strange crap not to be impressed by anything so easily. Hey, we had faced a Hell Goddess and lived, barely. Why was it that the stranger's words were striking a fear in my heart that I had not known before. _That is when the red witch lives through the night._ WILLOW!

A second later I was out of the door, all fatigue forgotten.

"Hey, girl, you shouldn't be out at such an… Argh!"

Nice town. I had thought some areas in England were bad. We didn't have that much vampires where I grew up. More like demons, monsters, beasts, sorcerers, dumb swordsmen and princesses with an justice attitude… Nice, ruin my already perfectly ruined mood even more, won't you? Maybe it was the atmosphere of this whole town or maybe I was just overstressed. I hadn't allowed myself to think about home since… And I wouldn't do so now. I had a job to do. That was the only important thing right now.

Let's see. The address Giles gave me should be somewhere around here. There was a cemetery nearby, maybe I should look up his charge too. I had to admit, I was curious about the Slayer. The way Giles' had described her… He must really love her, like a daughter. That was a rare trait that I had not expected from the man who had helped me over one of the worst times in my life. The Rupert Giles I had met was a recently socialized, idealistic, young Watcher who was stiff and… Well, let us say eager to please. He said I reminded him of his youth and that was why he had helped me. I didn't think he could do the same again, it was agonizing back then, even though he wouldn't admit that.

Sounds of fighting could be heard when I entered the graveyard and I quickly hid behind a row of tombstones and a tree. In growing fascination I watched a petite blonde single-handedly demolish half a dozen of obviously newly-risen undead with obvious fun and a few taunts. L-sama, she was a lot like I had been. Confident, brave, skilled. She knew what she was doing. Yet somehow something was missing. A certain esprit. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Giles had briefly mentioned that she had trouble finding the drive for living again. No wonder after a resurrection four months after death. However, tonight the Slayer didn't seem like someone who was totally listless and uncaring. A bit of a warrior's spark was there. But still something was missing.

"You seem more… energetic tonight, Slayer." Another vampire – at least that was what I assumed – had stepped up behind the girl but Buffy Summers didn't seem to care about him. Instead I saw her sigh in exasperation before turning around. "Yes and that is why you should go before I decide to be in the mood for something unhealthy directed towards you." Ah, I glanced down at a sheet of paper, that must be Spike. And there I thought associating with Xellos was bad…

The blonde vamp didn't seem fazed by the threat. "Oh come on. You know you want this. I can make you feel even better then now. Why don't you invest that energy in something more… interesting." Eww, I think I was going to be sick. The girl should grow up and stake the idiot. Personally, if it had been me the guy would be toast by now. Harmless or not.

Buffy wrenched her arm loose from his grip. "Leave me alone, Spike. There is nothing you can achieve here." Damn right, tell him, girl. "You were singing a totally different tone a few nights ago, luv." What the…? Can I repeat myself? Eww! Oh, they were fighting now, that was much better. Wait a minute! Didn't Giles write that Spike couldn't hit…

What could have been more described than a brawl had taken a drastic turn as Spike had the Slayer pinned against a tombstone and was now… Eww, again. What had I gotten myself into here? My eyes narrowed. The blonde Slayer was obviously struggling with herself. She seemed somewhat happy a moment ago but now it was gone. Replaced by a blank look that was as much defeated as hopeless. There was something pleading in her eyes that I could even see from my position. Something hauntingly familiar.

Oh shit… How could I have been so stupid to not see it? Fine, the condition was impossible for the time interval she was alive again but it was there. Oh Ceiphied, not again. "Spike, please leave me alone…" It was weak, defeated and unconvincing. Lifeless. Just like… A burst of anger erupted in me I hadn't felt since my youth. Before I could actually allow myself to think about it, the spell was already cast and ready.

"FLARE ARROW!" Spike moved only a fraction. That reaction was too late but just enough to not blow his head clear off. Instead he was blown away from the smaller blonde, bursting into flames. Buffy just stared in confusion and curiosity at his thrashing. "Goddamnit what…?" Spike rolled on the ground, trying to quell the flames. "Really, what a pathetic sight. Giles asks me to look up an addicted witch and what do I find? A Slayer and a vampire kissing in the middle of a cemetery." Buffy had the grace to look ashamed to the ground. My gaze softened a little in compassion but my eyes narrowed at the vampire just getting up again. A fireball made him duck and curse. "Hey!" he shouted dignified. "That is none of your business. The Slayer and I share just a little feeling, isn't that right?"

It would have been hilarious seeing how the vampire shot a pleading look at the blonde, hadn't I been so enraged by now. Buffy watched the whole thing with… amusement? Good. "Nobody." Another arrow. "Tells." Fireball. "Me." A Flare Lance that made him dive to the ground. "What." And now a few flashy balls via Flare Bit so that he stays down. "I." And with a jump I was on top of him. "Should. Do!" I snarled directly in his face, making sure my eyes were flashing a deep crimson.

"Bloody Hell, luv, what is your problem?" He squirmed from the heat and the first arrow had obviously caused him a lot of pain. I leaned close to him, fixing my gaze on his undead eyes that tried and miserably failed to convey innocence. "Do not play dumb with me, William. I know exactly what is going on with her and you know it too. What did you tell her, hmm? That she isn't really alive? A monster? Like you? I have been there, vamp, I have seen it all before and I failed the last person. That is why I take this personal and that is why I cannot allow you to use her."

There was a brief flicker of comprehension and then fear in his eyes. Hah, I still got it! He tried to free himself from my grip before sending another pleading look the Slayer's way. "Damn, she is insane! Help me, Slayer! Buffy!" How truly pathetic. Buffy did not move, just watched. "What a sight the famous William, the Bloody, killer of two Slayers, screams for the help of one like a small child. But I think I enjoyed that long enough." Gathering another fireball I planned to make quick work now when I felt the air pressed out of my lungs and was suddenly the one on the back, an enraged vampire over me in full game face.

Tactical miscalculation. I think I taunted a little too much and hadn't really taken in account the survival instinct of my foe. It was obvious that even holding me down was causing him pain but Spike seemed to be able to control it. "Nobody threatens me, little girl. I think I risk a month-long headache for you." Baka, how could I have been so stupid.

Several defenses already on my lips when I saw him moving in on my neck, I was probably as surprised as Spike at what happened next. "NO!" Buffy screamed before a whizzing sound indicated a thrown object. The vampire looked down stupefied at the stake in his heart and then back up at the Slayer who seemed no less shocked. "And now killed by the one he loved. I guess three is not your lucky number," I finished my earlier taunt while one of the most feared vampires in history exploded into dust.

(Tara)

Ouch, what hit me? Slowly the world came back into focus. The first thing I saw were the concerned faces of Anya and the stranger. "Uh…" I held a hand to my head trying to shake loose the cobwebs in my brain. I hadn't fainted in… I couldn't even remember when I did at all. "I had the strangest dream. You," I pointed at Anya, "were saying something about The Crossing." When only silence met me and the former vengeance demon refused to meet my eyes – not that the intense stare of the stranger was any less unsettling –, a shiver ran down my spine. I reached out with one hand for Anya's and quietly, almost frightful asked: "It was a dream, wasn't it?" My friend looked up at me defeated and just shook her head.

"Oh sweet Goddess…" I promptly fell back into the easy chair and closed my eyes, counting to hundred in Latin. Not that it helped. Anya was right. The Crossing was an old prophecy that was known in many religions, paganism was no exception there. Some said it was a myth, some said it was merely a legend with no real ground in this realm. Yet, ever since coming to Sunnydale and meeting with Willow and her friends, I was a bit more wary of prophecies. Be it even a myth only. Every legend held a bit of truth. And this one was too dangerous to be taken lightly.

"A-Are you sure?" I looked up at the stranger with questioning eyes. For the first time he seemed to look a lot older when he actually was – when again if he knew Anya he could be about ANY age. "It is not yet completed but things are in motion. The last focus is here as is the portal." Anya groaned: "Figures. After all this is the Hellmouth." She perked up suddenly. "Does that mean we just have to find and defend the focus? Xander told me the opening of the Hellmouth is where the old High School was…"

"Young One, this whole city could be the focus for all I know." The ex-demon's shoulders slumped. "Oh," she said meekly and the spark of hope was crushed for both of us. The stranger straightened up. "However. Nothing is lost yet. You are the last defense. After all your group has a reputation to weather any sort of problems." I cringed a little at his words. Wasn't that what we had been singing a few months ago before everything went to hell?

"Yeah sure," Anya expressed my own thoughts on the matter with a huff. "We have an addicted witch attempting withdrawal, another who severed the connection she had with her, a couple that can't even bring up the courage for marriage, a Slayer who doesn't want to live anymore… Shall I go on?" The stranger laughed as Anya glared at him. "Blunt as ever I see. Your problems soon will be insignificant, believe me."

While the two continued arguing, something tugged on my senses. Closing my eyes, I briefly shut out the two other persons altogether and concentrated solely on the flickering, weak presence of… "Willow!" There was no doubt about that. Even so far apart as we were now in more than one sense of the word, I could still feel the echo of the immense pain and the repeatedly weakening spirit. Anya and the stranger looked up at my shout and then I suddenly jumped out of the chair, the distance to the door crossed in a flash.

For a moment I stood outside the shop, looking around and noting that it was already dark. The other two stepped up beside me but the stranger stopped a question from ex-demon. Feeling along the thin band that still connected me with my f… mate, I spun around in a circle, concentrating on the spiritual plane alone. A few seconds later I stopped and my eyes snapped open. It clearly came from the direction of the Summers house. Not quite there but nearby.

"Do you have her?" I nodded at the stranger's question. He nodded and I was momentarily distracted when he began glowing in a soft golden light. Anya grabbed my hand and pulled me some distance away, which probably was a good thing because the tall man had just transformed into a several feet high dragon of pure gold. I considered the second fainting that night but the fear for my mate's well-being was stronger than my surprise. So when the dragon lowered himself and offered me with a deep rumble to mount, I did not hesitate a second.

(Willow)

Another shudder shook my drained body and I tumbled against the wall of the alley, smashing into a stinking trash container. The foul stench didn't really register with me as I slumped down, knees drawn up to my chin. Just a little rest. I hadn't slept in two or maybe even more days… While high on magic it didn't register but now the physical demands became unbearable. I couldn't let them see me like this. I couldn't go home in this state or they would know what I had been doing.

Damn bastard! I hadn't wanted his "help", I hadn't wanted his magic but I also hadn't been able to resist. The temptation too strong, the taste too daring and sweet. So sweet and fulfilling. For a fleeting second that is, the spark of the moment. And struggling did not help my own sanity. I hadn't even done a single spell, just cast it all out again. And now, now I felt like being on the threshold of death. Weak, empty and exhausted.

_Tara._ I was sorry I couldn't make it up to her, undo what I had done, show her that I had become better, that I didn't let magic control me anymore. Goddess, how much had I hurt her, had I hurt us. It tore me even more apart now, made me more miserable. Such irony, so close to death it became so horrible clear what a selfish person I had become. This was worse than Cordelia Chase. How could I have been so self-righteous?

_Buffy._ I stumbled forward on my way to the Summer's house, rather sure that I wouldn't make it and even then. There was nothing they could do. My spirit was weakening, I knew, my life energy fading into non-existence. That last boost had been too much. _I'm so sorry, Buffy, I must be a big disappointment._ The only thing I had wanted to do was help. I had wanted to help so much that I had totally lost sight of the cause and the means. In reality I had no real power. I was just a weak girl who had tasted more than she could chew. Stripped of all those layers I was still the shy geek that I had been all my life…

I wasn't any help like this. Maybe they were both better of without me. All I did was hurt the people I love. I think I knew now how it was for Buffy but other than her I was just a mere girl, I was doing it all for myself while she at least tried to protect her friends in earnest. What excuse did I have? I wanted to join in this fight, had said so myself. Why? Because it was an option to be someone, someone important. And that want had become an addiction. The magic was only a part of it, the tool. I was addicted to be someone important and had become scared that this would be taken from me.

Naked before the world, I was now, unprotected from the truth. And as I slumped to the pavement of Rodeo Drive, I wondered how I could have become that way. How I could look into the mirror and not hate myself. Everything was slowly spiraling away from me. My awareness slipped into blissful darkness, the frantic voices I heard in the background did not matter anymore. Yes, it was better that way. They would grieve but… They were better off without me.

My only regret was never being able to really apologize to Tara. The one woman who had made me feel important in the first place. I shouldn't have tainted that wonderful present by playing with her trust. And I also regretted never telling Buffy that I… I…

(Buffy)

I stood rooted to the spot and unable to move. My eyes were fixed on the spot where the witch – I assumed – and Spike had struggled just a few moments ago. Or better I was staring at the spot where moments ago dust had been the result of a recently staked vampire.

Forcing my gaze slightly lower I fixed the stranger with an incredulous look. "Did I just stake Spike?" The girl grinned and nodded. It had been an automatic reaction. Seeing a stranger in danger of an enraged vampire had set off my instincts I guess. I hadn't even considered that she might be able to defend herself or if Spike would really be able to follow through with his intentions. Spike was a stubborn person… vampire so I figured with the right motivation like his unlife at stake. Oh yeah, it had been at stake then. At the end of my stake.

"I staked Spike," I repeated for myself in wonder once more before finally allowing the truth to settle in. Then, as if something had just… clicked, I chose to jump up into the air and not caring who could hear released a short cry of freedom. Spike was dust. Wohoo! I had always warned him that I only needed one good reason for a staking. In the last months I had not considered myself a worthy reason. An "innocent" life in danger, however, seemed to be just the right reason. And damn, it felt GOOD!

Remembering the witch I quickly composed myself and grinning sheepishly knelt down next to her. "You okay?" The pretty redhead – though not looking very much like Willow – shrugged and struggled to her feet. "Yeah. Just hurt pride. I guess I should have learned by now not to tease too much. And don't worry about the little eruption of happiness. I won't tell anyone." She winked at me and I felt myself blushing. Something I hadn't done very often lately.

"You said Giles sent you. For… Willow?" I asked curiously as we began walking slowly through the graveyard. The understanding seemed to be there naturally and I assumed that if she was really here for what she claimed to be, she would probably know more than just Willow's situation. "Yep. That's me. Call me… Scarlet, for now." I raised an eyebrow. "Scarlet, huh? Well, I'm Buffy." I held out my hand, instantly trusting the other woman for some reason. Scarlet took the offered hand with a smile. "I know." A spark of electricity jolted through my body. There was some incredible power but also something else. I couldn't quite pinpoint the feeling that suddenly decided to stir but was given not much time when the moment was rudely interrupted. With the reaction speed that came only from years of battle experience, I dived to one sight while Scarlet took the other one.

Two newbie vamps had obviously taken our distraction for a good time to attack. I was about to launch into an attack when Scarlet made a hand gesture, cupping her hands: "DOLPH STRASH!" A booming sound could be heard when the high speed wave of bluish-black energy smashed into one vamp and disintegrated him on the spot. Unfortunately for his companion, he was right behind the first one and soon shared his unlucky fate.

Scarlet grinned at me. "Sorry, didn't want to take away your job." I shrugged, signaling that it was alright. "Don't worry. Just another thing taken away." The attempt of humor went gravely wrong for no apparent reason. My smile fell and my actual pretty good mood dimmed down. "Way to go, Summers…" Before I could finish verbally demolishing myself, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and found soft ruby eyes watching me with such compassion that I barely restraint a whimper. There was something in these eyes… "It is hard, isn't it? When there is nothing there even though you want to. Even though you know the people around you love you, that there maybe is a person who needs you. And still you feel so little. And nobody understands it."

We had stopped and now I reached up to tug some red hair out of Scarlet's face. I didn't really know what I was doing. I barely knew the women and yet… "But you do, don't you?" There! That was it. This familiar, haunting expression. Not directly… No, she hadn't been dead. But I had seen that look briefly in Willow's eyes than I confessed where I had been. This naked realization and pain. But in Scarlet's eyes this pain had faded, couldn't be recognized by someone who didn't know.

The woman took my hand in hers and again a shockwave traveled through my body. An emotion that made me feel strangely… alive. Not at all what Spike had been doing. No, this was different. "Yes, I do. Do you want to know what this is? Why it feels like there's something important missing, just out of reach?" I could not help I was glued to her every word. I had asked Tara what was wrong with me but she didn't have an answer and now there was a stranger who ignited a whirlwind of confusing emotions offering me a branch to pull me out of that streaming river that I couldn't swim against anymore.

"Why?" I whispered in scared anticipation. Scarlet stared at me intently and again I found myself unable to look away. "Your soul. It hasn't been properly reconnected." I blinked in surprise, not quite understanding. "I read about the spell. I don't know how it is possible after such a long time but that is what usually happens when someone is ripped from the Sea."

"The Sea?" Scarlet laughed. "The place there you were. Where everything comes from and everything goes back to in the end. The Sea of Chaos." I wasn't one to debate religion or worldview with someone who could shoot high-pressure shockwaves like a spear. "Oh. So what was that about my soul? I still have a soul, right? Otherwise I would be a zombie or something like that. A Slayer-zombie, eww…" I trailed off, thinking once again how lame that was but Scarlet laughed. "No, no. That's not it. Your soul is just not… there yet." At my dumb look, she further elaborated: "When the soul is ripped from the Sea, it usually takes awhile for it to settle back into the former vessel. Your connection had been severed for over three months after all."

"So Spike was right. I came back wrong," I sighed and dropped my head, starting once again on the path we had set through the graveyard. Scarlet though had other ideas. "NO!" The force and desperation in her voice jolted me more than being whirled around by the slightly taller woman. "Don't think that please. With the spell that was used on you, that period should have passed by now. You are NOT wrong. It is just an adjustment process." Her tone had change to a whisper, almost pleading. I tried to smile but it was fake, only halfhearted attempt. "Is there anything I can do?" Scarlet shook her head. "Time. Only time."

We stood there for a few more minutes before reluctantly letting go. Yet neither of us moved, caught in the moment. A part of me wanted to reach out again. The other woman understood and there was so much pain as well. I wanted to take that away. Share her burden… _Buffy!_ The echo was weak but I was pretty sure that I hadn't… "Will?" Scarlet looked around alarmed. We were not far from the house. Only a few blocks. She was near here somewhere. Willow hadn't come home the entire day and that had worried me. "Over there," the other woman pointed down the street to my house. We had subconsciously both broken out in a run. And what I saw now let my blood run cold. "Will…"

(Anya)

"Hey, wait for me!" Urk, I had forgotten how quick those things were. I was running an already lost race to catch up with my friends who quickly were only a sparkle in the night's sky. Daryial was still fast for his age, that I had to give him. Alright with his kin's lifespan he was in his mid-thirties compared to human age at best. After a few more seconds running in a vain attempt to catch up to them, I came to a halt, panting heavily.

"Now… That was pointless." I had felt the echo as well but would have put it up as the usual thing you encountered daily in Sunnydale had it not been for Tara's sudden reaction. I knew they were mated as powerful as it could get. All the differences aside, they would hurt greatly if the other was in pain or even worse. I had been there, done all that. And I was afraid to bring all those memories to the surface again.

Yet, maybe they needed help. Concentrating briefly a gust of wind began swirling around me and with a cry of "RAYWING!" I was airborne, safely enclosed in a bubble of wind currents. I was reluctant to use this sort of magic after such a long time, the memories had only slowly returned in the last months. Before this had only been blissful ignorance. I had really believed that I had been a demon all my life until the day my necklace had been lost. That was not true though and I didn't really want to tell anyone about it. Remembering hurt too much…

At least compared to a winged Golden Dragon a woman flying in a wind bubble wasn't that eye-catching. Maneuvering over the city, I considered my options and finally set of in the direction of the Summers' house. It was a good guess, I supposed. Willow ought to have enough common sense to at least try and get in the close vicinity of either her home or the Magic Box. And the last was already ruled out.

I looked down and almost lost my control over the spell. _Xander?_ Yep, that was him. Running at reckless speed through the streets. He was heading the same direction although I had no idea how he had gotten the clue. _Oh well, better pick him up._ Only a few feet away I was contemplating whether to call out a warning or just surprise him… Hmm, more like scare him to death. Anyway, the choice was taken from me as the night's events seemed to virtually go bang after bang. Not really watching what happened around him my fiancé missed the pack of vampires that suddenly prepared to jump him.

"Xander, behind you!" I screamed in panic and raised my hands, undoing the bubble and charging for an attack instinctively. Xander with years of fighting on the Hellmouth had the presence of mind to turn his half-leap at my yell into a roll, ducking under an attackers swing. By that time I had my incantation already completed. "WIND BRID!" Wind shot in a barrage of small shock waves from my open palms like tiny arrows, hitting the vampire that was behind Xander back into a wall. The air version of a Flare Arrow wasn't as strong as its counterpart but the added benefit of reduced sight gave me the time for another casting. "Wind, crimson flame! Grant the power of thunder to my hand! DIGU VOLT!" One of the pair that had remained standing dove to the side but the other wasn't as lucky as the lightning bolt practically burned him alive. Stunned his companion stared at the spot where only ash remained now and therefore totally missed Xander moving in and staking him. I turned to look for the last one but he was already gone. Smart, I say.

Then I returned my attention to my gaping boyfriend I couldn't help the smirk on my face. Quite frankly I didn't even try. I knew I hadn't been that much help in fighting since I was human again, I could neither match male/Slayer strength nor did I have the abilities of Willow and Tara. Or so I had thought. Willow, right. Priorities, Anya, I chided myself. I could deal with questions and consequences later. Right now I let myself fell back into my old life's personality.

"Come on," I urged, "they might need us." Grabbing a sputtering Xander's hand I once again created the wind bubble, eliciting a suppressed squeak from my involuntary flight companion.

(Willow)

I wasn't sure how long I had been lying there on the cold pavement. I wasn't even sure of the exact where. I could have been lying hours on the street – which would be unlikely – or just a few minutes on the sidewalk. In any case I could pick up the distant chorus of voices. Frantic and frightened. Buffy? Was that Dawn? My jumbled mind couldn't make it out clearly and everything was weaved in thick darkness. Why was I still alive? I should be dead by now. I would be shortly, that was for sure.

"Will… Come on… Damn it, Scarlet! We are loosing her!" Who was…? Didn't matter. So weak I could barely concentrate. A jolt of power surged through me. Not tainted, yet black. Not like Rack's. More soothing and… right. It didn't seem to mix good with my system though since it was already fleeting again. Latching desperately on some of the strength provided by the unknown force, I opened my eyes with extreme effort.

Everything around me was tinted in bright, fluorescent colors, the human shapes kneeling over me included. I could make out the outlines of who had to be Buffy and someone else as well as Dawn in the background. The teenager was such a bright white it was blinding to look directly while Buffy's aura was mixed with both light and darkness. The stranger though…

I gasped. There was a mixture of about everything, in a quantity and quality that not even Rack could match, that I was sure of. Dominating though was a strong black with red fiery outlines. Who was that woman? If I had ever seen her before, I would have recognized her on the spot. Her aura was just too magnificent and all-out beautiful.

The burst of power passed and I fell again, back into the cold void absent of any feeling, whispers of sweet release lulling me further into oblivion. I couldn't move, couldn't fight. I wanted to, there was so much I had to do, so much amends to make, things to make right again. However, my heart was weak and my spirit that had struggled for control for the last few months was tired. It would be so easy to just let go and…

Light. Not bright or blinding. Soft and warm. Completing. Tara? Yes, this gentle caress, this sense of belonging I would not even forget in death. There was an urge though in the touch, a desperation fueled by immense panic, sadness and… guilt? "… back… Come back, Willow… please!" Mustering all my remaining strength, I lunged for the mentally outstretched hand. Spectral fingers brushed like tendrils against each other and I felt them tighten into a bundle of joined spirits. A connection I had missed for too long and only now truly understood what I had lost. What I had so uncaringly played with.

The healing whiteness washed over my tired soul and spirit, covered me like a blanket and washed away all the poison addiction had left. At least for a moment but I was glad, even if it was only temporary. For this wonderful feeling I would do ANYTHING. Goddess, I didn't deserve her love! However, she wouldn't let me go. Tara's spirit was wrapped around mine and would never let go.

There had been another element there though. Just for a brief moment I had thought to feel Buffy. Her strength, her vivid aura, supporting and stabilizing. It hadn't been there for a long time and so I didn't recognize it at first. But she had been there, helping somehow.

At that realization came my eyes finally fluttered open to meet a blue ocean of swirling emotions. I could only smile weakly, hoping to convey the message that I was okay. Briefly my gaze flickered over my shoulder and I caught a glimpse of my best friend's form. Unlike before the image was much clearer. That was then I saw it. The undeniable truth and I could not suppress the tears as I finally saw exactly why Buffy had been so detached lately. I should have seen it earlier, I should have noticed. But that would have been like acknowledging the grave realization that I had somehow failed…

(Buffy)

It was a sight that I would not forget in a lifetime. The form of my best friend, life… or better slayerlong confident sprawled out on the pavement of Rodeo Drive looking worse than a junkie after an overdoses of several mixed drugs. And this even from several feet afar. My stomach threatened to convulse at the sight and I was glad that the brief bit of slaying was enough to work out dinner. I wasn't sure if I could have kept it in.

"Willow!" Springing out of the shocked trance I had found myself in for a moment, the fearful cry from my sister brought me back to reality and I was beside the redhead in a flash. Scarlet knelt next to me while I cradled Willow carefully in my arms. From up close she looked even worse. And the dirty clothing, the rings under her eyes, they were rather insignificant compared to the shallow breathing and the weak pulse. "Will? Willow! Come on!" I shook her in desperate hope for some kind of reaction while the other redhead seemed to simply observe critically. I could feel her further slipping away and I was no fool to think that it would be a place to bring her back from. I couldn't let her go. All the detachment and dull feelings didn't matter right now. I was slowly getting my life back in order. Spike was gone, I might get a job, this newcomer seemed to have some sort of understanding of what I was going through… But could I do all this without my friends? Could I do it without Willow?

NO! The thought alone was blasphemy. I loved her. More than I could even grasp, that much had always been clear to me. No one had ever understood me better. There might never be a chance that she could be mine and maybe that was even better so. She was for another and maybe that was just the way it had to be. Maybe we had simply missed that chance and now our paths had already been determined. Foremost she was my best friend though, as close as a sister could be, even more maybe. That would always be mine and I could not lose her. I WOULD NOT lose her!

My heart skipped a beat as I felt Willow's pulse missing one. Shoving aside the troubling thoughts of clarity that had befallen me at the side of my best friend in such a state, I shook her again. Dawn was by now frantic but stayed hovering in the background. "Damn it, Scarlet! We are losing her!" I said through clenched teeth. The other woman nodded and reached out with one hand to press her palm against Willow's forehead. Closing her eyes she mumbled a few words. A cascade of blackness seemed to swirl around the two for a moment but the darkness didn't feel evil. More like… calming. It obviously had the effect on Willow who relaxed somewhat.

I briefed a sigh of relief but frowned with a sick feeling rising in my stomach as Scarlet's look stayed serious and worried. "It won't last. That was only temporary. Her spirit, her soul is detaching from her body. All the magic is cast out and there is no support. She has overexerted her link to the spiritual plane. Her balance is totally gone." At my blank stare, she evaluated. "Your friend is, to put it bluntly, totally magical dry."

Before I had time to process the information, my sensitive hearing picked up a sound that resembled huge wings flapping in the night air. What could produce such a…? "Oh my god!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed and my head snapped up to witness the quiet unbelievable sight of a majestic lizard, a dragon no doubt, in pure gold. There was someone on its back I observed as the creature began a graceful dive for the ground. For a moment I wondered why none of our neighbors were attracted by the spectacle but quickly passed it of as the usual Sunnydale ignorance. What was far more interesting was that the passenger soon revealed herself to be Tara…

"Hmm, it has been some time since I saw a Golden Dragon and in this part of the world as well," Scarlet mused beside me and I stared at her skeptically. She seemed totally unimpressed. Tara in the meantime had dismounted the huge creature which soon afterwards proceeded to shimmer into a human, male shape. Forcefully pushing rising questions aside, I made some space for Tara who was, not surprisingly, totally out of her mind already.

(Tara)

Flying through the air on a good dozen large dragon is a thrill, I had to admit that. But the excitement was somewhat dimmed through the thick knot of worry that had settled in my stomach… or maybe right in the heart after all. I could tell with a frightening clarity that Willow was in terrible danger. Her presence was barely sensible over the already strained connection. Her very life force was slowly getting weaker and weaker. I feared the worst.

"Down there!" I pointed downwards when we were almost over Rodeo Drive and the Summers house. There was some commotion below and it didn't need a genius to figure out the what and who. _Hold on a little bit more. I'm not letting you get away. I said we need distance, not that you die on me_, I silently vowed. I regretted so much already. Not being strong enough to stand by her side and help her through. Something Giles and I had in common and which my phone call had showed me. We were as much in error as our charge/lover with leaving. People could not solve all their problems alone, sometimes turning your back in these situations in hopes of getting a reaction is the worst thing you could do. Yes, I was still mad at Willow for the memory thing but… She couldn't die. Not yet, not ever. I don't think I could live without her.

Descending gracefully Daryial landed in the middle of the otherwise deserted street and I lost no time. Subconsciously using some magic to brace for the jump I was down and beside Buffy and Willow in no time. Goddess. I gasped at the sight of my mate in such a state. The mental strain was as evident as the physical one, more so. Whatever happened to this sweet girl who held my own soul in her hands? She couldn't leave now, taking it all away. I wouldn't let her. But what could I do?

I sat there hovering helplessly for a moment before I noticed the stranger. "Are you her mate?" I looked up at the redheaded woman with tears of aggravation already clouding my vision. Her aura was brilliant even in my less than attentive state I could see that. Nodding slowly to her question, I was about to ask something but the other woman already went on. "I'm… Lina. The one Giles said he'd sent." Ah. "We don't have much time. Take her hand," she urged though the request was rather unnecessary since I was already doing this, grasping my comatose lover's hand tightly, desperately trying to reach her.

Lina nodded approvingly. "Now. Don't force it. Cast out all negatives emotions. All doubts. Let her know how much you still care and that you don't want to lose her." Following the instructions I closed my eyes and forced my breathing to slow down into a regular, calming beat, focusing on the happy times we had together. The secret meetings in my dorm room, the night when Willow had made her choice, the immense joy I had felt then and while I was slowly pulled into a circle of friends, no longer being the nobody.

"You too." So concentrated on channeling my emotions I almost jumped as I felt another presence connecting with ours. Lina's had already been lurking in the background, supporting. But that was clearly Buffy's. The depth of her feelings was immense and powerful. As much as I had always suspected and known. My respect for Buffy Summers had always been great. I knew she was in love with Willow since they meet probably but even when Dad and the rest of my family came to take me away, she could have easily taken her chance then. But she had declared me family, simply because of what I was for Willow. It was a love I couldn't quite grasp and never really hope to match in its many facets.

Something stirred in the mixture we had created and I could feel a rush of power. Most of it was being drained away from me into Willow but that was alright. I could feel her spirit relaxing and stabilizing. Her breathing was beginning to return to normal and I breathed a deep sigh of relief and overjoyed happiness. Opening my eyes they briefly met with green ones, shining with wonder and an overwhelming sense of love, before they drifted over to Buffy's who had edged away to give us some privacy. I was puzzled at the pain flashing over her features.

"Willow? Baby, what is it?" She turned back to me with a look of sadness and guilt. "Her… Her soul… I saw it… It isn't properly anchored…" That was about all she managed before falling back into a most likely restless but at least harmless sleep. I glanced sideways at Buffy and wondered how I could have missed that possibility when the Slayer had asked me what was wrong with her. Goddess, Willow must feel so bad about it. And as if she hadn't enough to deal with.

(Xander)

For one of the few times in my life I was totally speechless. My wit left somewhere between the first spell and being yanked into the air flying on magical wind through the night. What the hell had possessed my fiancée? As if the mysterious guy hadn't been enough, now this. And then there was the overwhelming worry about my best friend. I don't know why I trusted the words of the truthfully rather suspicious stranger but otherwise taking chances with Willow's condition… No.

So I just stared straight ahead as we streaked through the night's sky, closing in on our destination. I tried heard not to look down because I was sure that I would panic and doing that in front of my girlfriend wouldn't do my male ego any good. Though I doubt that my initial reaction had done much for my reputation. However, could you blame me?

"It seems the worst is over already." Anya's voice forced me to abandon the original plan of not looking down. We were directly over the street in front of the Summers house. On the sidewalk was a group of people amidst them Buffy, Dawn, Tara and Willow cradled in the latter's arms. There were also two strangers I noted while Anya slowly lowered us to the ground. One of them was a tall man with a mixture of blonde almost golden and ebony-black hair. Buffy and Dawn had retreated from the pair and next to the Slayer stood another redhead without any significant resemblance to Willow other than the hair color which seemed to be a lot brighter though, blending into orange.

I didn't know if I should be disappointed that our entrance was only noticed with slight interest and a quirked eyebrow from Buffy who like the others were mostly concentrated in worry on the pair. I took a step forward as my feet finally touched solid ground again but then hesitated. Willow appeared to be sleeping now. For a moment I had believed her to be much worse but apparently whatever happened to her had passed and settled into simple wariness. They should leave the sidewalk though. It was getting cold outside… Correction it was already cold. The brief flight had chilled me to the bone and I really would like some warmth now and those two should be in a bed.

Buffy picked up my thoughts as it seemed and moved forward to gently take Willow in her arms. Tara stood up as well and you could see that she was tired as well. Maybe not so much physically as emotional. The other witch rested her head slightly on the Slayer's shoulder and the blonde smiled faintly. I felt somewhat out of the loop here and really wanted to know what happened and who those other people were.

"Will she be okay?" Tara asked the unfamiliar woman timidly. The stranger studied the other redhead for a moment and under the tender gaze I could see something else. A fire that I didn't want to be on the receiving end of. "I suggest both of you stay with her tonight. With a lot of rest she should be okay." A barely restrained growl came out of her throat which made me jump. She fixed the two blonde woman with an intense gaze. "My notes said that dealer's name was Rack, correct?" Buffy nodded. "Yes, his hideout is always in motion," the Slayer explained seriously. There was some sort of silent communication between the two. Buffy hesitated to say something but obviously decided against it.

Turning around sharply the woman walked briskly away from the pair with that sort of angry determination on her face that could make your blood run cold. "Don't worry. I'll find him." I shivered at her tone. I think I understood now what Buffy had tried to ask. From the sound of it this was more than personal for the stranger for some reason. Still… I heard the story from the Slayer and this Rack person didn't seem someone to be taken lightly.

"Shouldn't someone be following her," I said, voicing my presence for the first time since arriving. Buffy turned around with Willow in her arms and Tara still leaning against her. "I don't think I'm much help in a magical duel." Good point. "Besides I have the impression that it shouldn't be Scar… Lina that we ought to worry about." And with that the three vanished into the house, quickly followed by Dawn and the other stranger.

I looked at my fiancée with a questioning look, not quite getting all what had just transpired. Anya apparently misinterpreted my look and smiled reassuringly. "It's alright. I make sure she's okay. I have some unfinished business with Rack too." And with a quick kiss on the lips she was gone and I was left feeling rather stupefied standing out there alone. That was not quite the reaction I had expected. Not at all.

Shrugging and deciding that standing around here would not get me any answers I followed the rest into the house, now not only worried for the girls but for Anya as well.

(Lina)

She was supposed to be my charge now. Seeing the redhead like this had brought back a lot of memories I would have liked to be erased completely. It reminded me painfully of myself before Giles had found me. Though the cause might have been a different one, the outcome had been about the same. I had been cool and collected while dealing with the emergency situation and it had all ended well. But how close had I come to lose the person I was asked to help before I had even met her?

If I was honest, I didn't want to be here at all. I had not imagined it would be that bad, that similar to what I had gone through about six years. It was a like a sick, twisted and horrible mirror, a rehearsal I could very well do without. But I was here now and I couldn't… wouldn't turn my back on this. Maybe I could do better this time. Help them get through it where I myself had lost that traumatic struggle and the one important person in the process…

No one should go through this much pain and heartache as I had. That time had almost cost me my life and it was a miracle that it hadn't. No, Willow deserved better as much did the Slayer. There was some sort connection to the petite blonde which I was hesitant to approach or dare fathom, afraid of what I might find. All that was unimportant (zweitrangig) now. I never was one who could stand needless destruction. Yes, I had made myself a reputation of not being one to care much who or what might have been damaged through my spells in the past but I think I had kind of a righteous streak. A "normal" hero I had been once titled by someone very dear to me… I shook my head trying to stuff the familiar heartache. Personal abuse was something I reacted rather badly at.

Stopping I waited for the one that had been following me to reveal him- or herself. A moment later the blonde female who had arrived late at the scene in a Raywing bubble which didn't actually surprise me stepped up next to me. Her boyfriend, I assumed, seemed to be somewhat stunned but I had sensed her potential from far away already. "Did you find him?" she asked, staring up ahead into the half-illuminate alley. I narrowed my eyes in concentration and finally nodded. The markings were distinctive for one sensitive enough to sense it.

Turning halfway to my unwanted companion, I quickly evaluated her strength. She smiled at me. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to do anything. I think I'm a bit too rusty for a full-out magic battle. My name is Anya by the way." Anya, Anya… I mentally sorted through the list of people mentioned in Giles' file. Ah yes, the ex-demon. Okay, that at least answered some of her familiarity with my country's form of magic. And that was all I needed to know right now.

"Lina," I introduced myself with a short nod, not bothering with a pseudonym anymore. "Just make sure that no one is bothering us." Anya grinned but the serious expression betrayed her amusement at the whole thing. It seemed I wasn't the only one to settle an old debt here. Not surprisingly actually. With Rack's line of work the possibility was high to get on the list of a vengeance demon.

Focusing my attention back on the hidden sorceress lair I let the fury that I felt for him and what he had done not only to Willow but also to me fuel me from the inside. Gathering my magical reserves I let any caution drop and chose to make an entrance worth of Lina Inverse, Dra-Mata and Bandit Killer.

"Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright! Gather together in my hand and become and inferno…" Anya took a few steps back as I finished the incantation and a ball of crackling fire appeared in the area where the hidden hideout was. From experience I knew that Rack had this place heavily shielded and therefore I wouldn't run danger of scorching any poor soul within alive.

"BURST FLARE!"

And in a fiery blaze a blue tongue of flame was rising to the sky, the invisible spell broken immediately. I moved forward and blasted the door of what had become a raging inferno already. Payback time.

End of Part 1

Author's Note

This was a good point to stop. I was debating whether to include the Lina-Rack confrontation but if I had that would have turned out to be rather thin. And I think I will have too much fun at this to just cut it short.

Things to clear. For all of you that have not seen one bit of Slayers. Don't worry that much. I have seen it once, with the end of Season one and a good half of Next missing due to my father not paying our Pay-TV bill in time, grr… Most of my information I am pulling from Slayers Universe (www.inverse.org). Such as name spelling, spell incantations and the like. So if you are confused about the spelling of some spells I use the main names being issued there such as "Dragu Slave" instead of "Dragon Slave" and so on.

Anya was one of those twists that just happened. It just fit at this time.

Daryial is my own character. I don't know yet if he will play a bigger part in the future or not.

I think that's all for this part. Feedback in all forms like email (addy is in the header) and reviews is as always appreciated, wanted and needed.

Ja ne, yours

Matthias


	2. Part 2

Title: Reconnecting (2/?)

Author: Mystic Mew (Solarsenshi@gmx.de)

Status: Incomplete, Alpha

Rating: R (most likely)

Category: Crossover/Dark/Romance

Pairings: Buffy/Lina, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya

Summary: Lina has arrived upon the scene and Willow had almost been lost. Now her, Tara and Buffy need to reconcile while Lina and Anya confront Rack. And was is all this about "The Crossing"?

Distribution: Buffy Wants Willow and Magikal Three lists, www.fanfiction.net, www.mediaminer.org. Any others not yet decided. If you are interested please ask and you can have it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, the Vampire Slayer nor do I own the characters of Slayers. This is a work of fiction and is done for the simple purpose of the joy of writing. So don't sue me.

Legal Disclaimer: This work of art will include graphical description of violence and intimacy between both genders to a degree. If that is illegal or you have moral issues with this, run away as long as you still can. The author does not take responsibility if you chose to ignore this warning.

Reconnecting (Part 2)

By Matthias

A BtVS/Slayers Crossover

(Rack)

Life of a magic dealer in Sunnydale was certainly a happy one. All those petty individuals and lost souls with so much power and no idea what to do with it. Daily dozens of clients came and wanted their dose to take their weak souls away from reality into a higher sphere and yet they stayed blind to the true bliss of it all. Receiving was one thing but giving and taking at the same time, the sweet taste of their essence, their raw power and untapped potential that was the real thing. Power was my game and I loved it, in a way it was my own addiction.

And then there was Strawberry. Rarely before had I come across such vast, untapped potential, so much fire crackling under her skin just waiting to be released. She could be so much, she could shape the whole world in her hands and to her liking, she could clean the whole Hellmouth from any evil but herself if she wished and sealing it in the process. Instead she occupied herself with petty rituals, simply assisting the slayer and practicing a limiting religion. In a way she was the most naive of my customers. Strawberry was aware of what I was doing to her and at the same time not.

I chuckled, knowing that she hadn't used the power I gave her. The strain of channeling everything out was written clearly all over her, body and aura. Such a waste. She had no idea how things really worked. What magic was all about and that if she wanted it the fact that it was Black Magic would mean as much as a cent in a mountain of gold. All was about control actually. Only if you lacked that magic would direct the path of your fate.

Strawberry, however, was a mere child, a baby in the world of giants all around her. Her power equaled and excelled those around her but she didn't know what to do with it or how to properly do so. A pity but at the same time I had the most of it. It was like playing with fire. I knew if she exploded and finally turned against me I would be lucky to get out of here alive but as long as I kept it safe and in control, my own desires were met perfectly. This way…

My thoughts were rudely interrupted and I had only a split second to react when I felt the nearly impenetrable shields around my operation base crumble like paper under fire. And that is what happened. Blue tongues of flame suddenly slashed through the walls around me as a deafening boom set free a raging inferno. Screams could be heard from the waiting room but I put them no mind. My customers were the least of my concerns now as I instantly pulled up a tight heat shield around me and strode to the already melted door.

Stepping over its remains and avoiding the lashing fire all around me, I felt my anger rise inside of me until it was almost at the boiling point. Whoever dared this was going to pay. It had cost a lot of financial as well as magical investment to set up this place and would cost even more to rebuild. When I entered the waiting room, however, I froze, not quite certain I really saw what my eyes tried to tell me. The door was practically blasted to bits – not by the fire per se – and standing proudly and with a burning passion in her eyes that was more lethal than the actual flames around me was a person of my past and hadn't thought to ever see again. To be honest I had thought her long since dead. I fixed the figure with a disbelieving stare, taking in the red, fiery hair and flashing ruby eyes, the anger radiating in them and even though I managed to keep my cool outwardly, I was shaken and terrified to the core on the inside because I knew that Strawberry was a laugh compared to her…

(Tara)

The house was in a straining quiet at the moment. A few minutes ago I had heard hushed voices filtering upstairs, probably Xander and Anya demanding to be let in on the situation. Although I couldn't sense or hear the ex-demon anywhere. I wasn't trying though, simply concentrated on my unconscious mate and – with a sliver of hope – maybe lover again cradled in her best friends arms as we made our way upstairs. The part of me that was always worried over my friends well-being wanted to at least make sure that everyone was alright and that Dawn wasn't too freaked by the whole thing. But my heart had set priorities right now. And so I had wordlessly slipped into the… our bed behind Willow, taking over the right to hold her.

That was some minutes ago and the voices from downstairs had stopped now, basking the house in a blanket of silence that was as much relaxing as it was nerve-retching. After all the stress and strain of lending Willow power in order to sustain her spirit I was exhausted beyond anything I had ever experienced before. Doing powerful spells and being drained afterwards was one thing but this had been way intense. I would not have traded it though if it meant that Willow lived and there was now hope for a new chance. Tried as I might though I could not get my raging mind to calm down enough to get some much needed sleep.

I had come so close to lose Willow and the thought alone could not be bared. I knew for a long time that I was depended on her, needed her as much a human being needed to breathe. That time apart had been torture, self-inflicted torture that might be understandable on a certain level but was also needless and selfish on another. Was independence really that important? Was the freedom of my mind worth leaving a part of my heart behind? I did not know for sure anymore? Yes, the violation was wrong, the motives selfish and abusive but should I not have seen through it? If I really loved and deserved her love should I not have stayed and pulled her through this? What was a little sacrifice for our love? I had no answer for those questions and still couldn't decide what should have been done and what not. Important was that we were here now, together, save, alive and hopefully recovering.

Willow shook and whimpered in her sleep and I brought my arms more tightly around her. "Tara, Buffy, no!" I could feel a surge of power, something dark and primal and even though I knew it was an unconscious reaction of her essence to the illusion created by the nightmare, I had to resist the fear of that stained magic. I would not shy away anymore, Willow needed my support right now.

"Shh, it's okay, baby, I'm here." She calmed down a little but was still tense and curled up against me in a fetal position. I felt the tears unbidden in my eyes but movement from the door kept my attention focused there. Buffy had returned upstairs and was taking in the scene with a sad, guilty look. From the talks of the last days I knew exactly what was going through her and most of the guilt came not from the blame on what happened to her best friend but what little she probably felt about it.

_Her soul is unattached_, Willow's words came back with relentless force and I quelled the urge to look away in rising shame. Instead I managed to stop her already in the process of turning with a barely whispered but pleading: "No." The Slayer turned uncertain, hovering in the same space for a few seconds as I tried to bring my message across without words. When it became clear that Buffy's insecurities didn't help with that at all. I called out softly: "Stay."

The blonde's eyes widened for the fraction of a second but I managed to hold her gaze until her features soften. Buffy let the door close behind her and without another needed word slid under the covers. She stayed on her side for awhile but after some time we were comfortably snuggled up against each other and soon sound asleep.

(Anya)

As we strode into the dealer's lair I took in anything around me while most of my attention was still directed at Lina. I knew she was from the old world, her magic use alone had been a giveaway. But this part had been sealed off for as long as I was a demon. Daryial's appearance had startled me but he could have been outside back then. This one though… Everything in her aura practically SMELLED liked home. It was an ability I hadn't really used in a millennia as well but one that was not so easily lost. If that wasn't enough already, her power was far greater than mine had ever been in my prime. And back then I was considered one of the strongest, human mages. A power and status that would certainly take some time to rebuild. Lina's aura though was vivid, throbbing with barely restrained power that could strike a lethal blow any second. Rack would stand no chance against that. And I think he knew it.

"Scarlet?" The dealer stopped upon entering the lobby, obviously unaffected by the intense heat around us. I could hear the wonder in his voice and gathered instantly that there had, apparently, been history between the two. A fact that often played into Rack's hands as I know from dealing with his case once but this time I was sure that wouldn't be a comfort the dealer.

"Rack," Lina regarded him with nothing but disdain, her voice dripping acid. I had to shudder and was inwardly glad not be the one on the receiving end of her anger. She seemed so calm and collected dealing with Willow back then – from what little I witnessed after arriving late with Xander – but now it was as if someone had set free a wild and quite deadly animal. Emotional scars, I surmised, that would explain it and I was rather sure that was the case anyway. A lover probably, maybe lost to Rack or something differently. I had seen it before but let us just say that Willow wasn't the only person who almost lost the one important to them. And in my case the "almost" had been painfully missing…

No, time for that now. Lina and Rack were standing opposite of each other, both judging the others strength and intentions. While the latter didn't need much interpretation, I could safely attest the aura of confidence around the redhead while the slightest quiver of fear shone through the dealer's façade. "Really? Did you have to make such a mess? This place costs, you know, and I'm sure that we could have settled this petty difference otherwise. I would have even given you one for free…" The rest of the arrogant speech intended to cover his own dread was cut of by a blazing arrow narrowly missing his head. I could not help myself but smirk.

"This has gone too far, Rack. My assigned charge was almost killed tonight. I despised your shady business before this already but now you crossed a line. Pulling an unwilling soul purposefully into oblivion is something I cannot just overlook. I would have just liked to have her away from you but it is obvious that you won't even give her a chance." As expected Rack was puzzled for a moment, before his eyes lit up and he unexpectedly chuckled . "Oh, this is about Strawberry." A sudden laugh erupted from his throat and I really thought he had went insane. Maybe that wasn't far from the truth for almost all of his life… "And you," he pointed at Lina again and then laughed once more, "want to teach her? You can barely control yourself. How do you want to teach her that?" Lina flung out her arm, palm pointed forward as a lance of power surged forward only to smash against an invisible barrier.

"I should have let you join your little sidekick when I had the chance." Rack quieted down at my voice and fixed with a bemused grin. "Oh, Anyanka. I'm hurt so little respect from a fellow…" A Digu Volt smashed into his shield and pushed him back a few feet. "I was never your fellow anything. I was a wish-granting vengeance demon. You are just a pathetic sick THING." Rack didn't seem fazed by that and I moved forward to further enforce my words but was held back by a hand suddenly blocking my path.

I looked at Lina for a moment. Taking in that deep calm suddenly meeting me. There was still anger but it was shaped into a sharp, cold blade of lethal steel now, an almost freezing calculation. And I knew that whatever Rack had tried with his mocking and however deep it might have hurt, the effect surely was the opposite of what he had hoped for.

Without a word I stepped back and silently retreated out the burning house. I could see Rack tense the barest bit as Lina stepped forward to face him. Backing away until I couldn't see them anymore I flew up to a low roof and waited. That wasn't actually a long process. Just half a minute later the ground shook in a low tremble and the already ruined house literally burst apart as two figures shot out of the flames. Both were illuminated in flaring red auras but where Racks was a deep, tainted crimson, Lina's was a mixture of ruby and scarlet with a bright fire. When the two began their deathly dance I made sure that I would have a defensive spell ready either for Lina or myself. Sunnydale was about to be the ground of a magic duel that could barely be compared to the fight of a Slayer with a Hell Goddes. And that we already had.

(Willow)

I woke with a soundless scream, my throat dry and soar. When had I been drinking or eating the last time? It seemed like days. Maybe it even was days. It was dark around me and I wasn't sure where exactly I was. The images of the nightmare came rushing back and only when I finally registered the feel of a soft, familiar body against my back did I relax somewhat, relief flooding through me.

Goddess, that had been so surreal and yet I couldn't get it out of my head how right everything felt. Not right as in it should be that way but that it was that way, in fact really real… Ouch, my head hurt. _No babbling in your head for awhile, Willow._ I recalled that in the dream that guy I thought was distantly familiar shot down Buffy and Tara and there was so much blood and… I never wanted this too happen, would never let it happen, as long I lived…

I was alive. The realization hit me full force and images, impressions from earlier came rushing back to me. Collapsing on the pavement of Revello Drive, near death and with the absolute certainty that I would indeed be dead soon. When there were Buffy and Tara. I had felt so loved when their energy surged through me. Safe like a baby in its mother's arms. The body behind me mumbled something incoherently and snuggled closer. A faint smile came to my lips and my heart leapt a little with the joy I felt that moment. She was there for me again. I didn't hazard any illusions that this was going to be an easy road, for both of us. There were a lot of negative emotions to sort through, a lot of consolation and amends to make. But I could have the relieve again that everything would turn out to be alright in the end. Somehow.

I had no idea why I didn't notice it before but maybe I had been too focused on the nightmare and Tara but there was another body against mine that I couldn't quite make out. But I felt a head resting against my shoulder and it was strangely comforting. Years of sleepovers and the year as dorm mates helped to quickly identify the body to be Buffy's and another smile flashed briefly over my face in the darkness. Tara was here. Buffy was here. And we were all together and at peace for the moment. A rest and peace all of us deserved and actually needed.

My mind wanted to wrap around the odd sleeping arrangement and the warmth I felt with both women on either side but my still rather drained and overall exhausted body was not up to it and soon I felt myself drifting back to sleep, relishing in the feel of my mate and best friend surrounding me. Completed in the odd dynamics of our individual relationships.

I must have dozed of for a few minutes and while my body was showing no outward signs of being awake, my spirit suddenly jerked awake for a moment. My magic capacities might be running low, only sustained by Tara and Buffy's energy but I could recognize the echoes in the distance, loud and clear. Beside me I could feel Tara's spirit stir and even the Slayer reacted subconsciously. Levels of magic were just raised of a magnitude that were truly frightening. Black Magic and there was a lot of fire. Two, they were two. Was that Rack? Yes. And the other one seemed distantly familiar. The stranger from last mind made her way back through the haze of memories. They were fighting, it was more like a miniature war. My spirit boggled as particular spells clashed and mental shields slammed into place before it could become to overwhelming.

I lay hovering between sleep and wake for awhile longer, trying to figure out what was wrong. But then the echoes quieted down and finally stopped in the distance, I drifted back into Morpheus' arms, deciding that it could wait until tomorrow. Whatever happened, if it was dangerous for us when I would have been awake in a flash despite any physical protests.

(Lina)

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Anya move away giving us the needed space. My gaze was fixed on the hated man in front of me and as anger began to fuel me from deep inside I began to chant. "Darkness from twilight…" Rack, I hated the name with a passion. It was when I was lost in my own addiction, though that time couldn't be compared at all with my new charge's. That was when he had found me. "Crimson from blood that flows…" He thought me to be weak and I was. Gone was the strong, confident sorceress of my youth. Life had betrayed me, brutally so, and I hadn't cared at that time. "Buried in the flow of time…" He took me in, amused himself for awhile and spat me out like Willow but as with Willow he hadn't gotten enough and drained me almost completely. It was then when Giles had found me, on the verge of death. "In thy great name I pledge myself to darkness…" Since he had moved from England shortly afterwards I had never been confronted with him again. Now he was doing the same thing again with Willow. Not over my dead body. "Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I posses!"

I cupped the glowing sphere of crimson and fixed Rack with a deathly glare. He had been bragging on about how he knew me so well and that I could never win against him. Well, he had only met the weak girl branded by tragedy, not the strong mage that had confronted powerful Mazoku and even slew one seventh of this world's Demon Lord. "You know nothing about me, Rack. But you are about to find out; sadly it will be the last thing you experience… No wait, that isn't so sad after all. DRAGU SLAVE!" And I let the most powerful spell known to everyone but me go.

The dealer was so surprised that his half-hearted defense was washed away almost instantly. I knew though that he was made of sterner stuff when to be so easily defeated. Levitating up into the air I looked around carefully and was not being disappointed when Rack rose from the burning remains of his lair. Wiping the blood dripping from his bottom lip away his eyes narrowed. "Alright. It seems that was a 'no' to my offer." I did not even give him the benefit of staring at him hard. Instead I moved instantly. His eyes widened in surprise as I closed in quicker than he could react. "FLARE LANCE!" Rack dodged the spear formed by several fire arrows fused together but that was just a feint. One hand behind my back came suddenly shooting forward as I was almost above my enemy. "BALUS ROD!" A thin band of light crashed against his quickly brought up arm and proceeded to wrap around it. I tugged on the light whip and he was flung through the air and down on the roof of a building.

I was not about to give him the time to recover. Landing on the roof I drew back the magic whip but got surprised when his hands suddenly were thrust out and a sizzling lightning bolt hit me in the shoulder while I tried to avoid the sudden attack. The grip on the spell lost, I rolled with the blow and came up half-kneeling one hand firmly place against the roof. "DUG WAVE!" The roof beneath my opponent exploded in a shockwave as the earth spell took effect but Rack was already airborne leaping back in a wide arc he came around with two small points of fiery lights on his hand and I immediately called out a Balus Wall to shield me from the two flames suddenly rushing for me.

For a moment both of us halted, taking a few breaths. Not that I really needed it. "Not bad," Rack admitted with a cockiness that I knew was a mask. He was scared, terrified actually, I could almost smell it. "I know now why you always were so special to me. A pity we can't settle this like adults."

"Shut up, Rack. I had enough of your delusions. This town is not big enough for the both of us. Leave here and never EVER cross my path again. If not, you should bow to the crowd now because you're about to leave the show." Of course the unworthy idiot wasn't clever. Pride prevented him from following his logical mind that knew he couldn't win. "Spare me the moral lecture, Scarlet. You are no better than me or Strawberry. I bet your pretty, little princess would be disgusted with what…"

"BLAST ASH!" He leapt clear of the black void dropping in on him like a meteor with automatic targeting, barely. His left leg got scarred in the process which didn't seriously stop him. However, that last comment had served to snap the last string keeping my own rage in check. How DARE he speak about Lia like that?

Coming together in a furious exchange of spells and occasionally physical blows I was quickly able to drive him back, flung him from the roof and smashed him into another wall with a well placed barrage of fireballs. A red haze of rage was covering my vision but I didn't care as I prepared for another Dragu Slave to finish the offending taint from my past once and for all.

Buried under all this anger I had forgotten the basic rule of surviving for a sorceress. NEVER lose control in a fight with an equal opponent. And as much as I hated him Rack did come close to an equal opponent. Not quite but most of it he made up by his knowledge about me. Which he just wonderfully demonstrated, driving me into a rage with just a few pointed comments. Thus I was totally unprepared for the blinding flare that hit me, making me lose control over the spell, almost grilling myself in the process.

"WIND SHIELD!" I could actually feel when a surely lethal energy bolt exploded against the spiritual barrier. I glanced up and saw Anya standing on a nearby roof, her hand outstretched ready to launch another spell. Her eyes suddenly got really wide and my head whipped around as I felt a huge gathering of magic. It was Rack. Oh shit! The guy was desperate. Obviously he HAD admitted to himself that there was no way he could win but instead of giving up he had saved up all his reserves, down to the last ounce of life-force in his body. All of this was gathered now in a warping and hissing corona of blackness all around him.

He must have taken all those hits to partially absorb some of my spell's power, I realized while my mind turned into a whirlwind, trying to find a counter. At least a dozen spells and actions were discarded, during which Rack was beginning to be engulfed by the vast blackness. By the time Anya landed next to me and was trying to get me away the magic dealer was complete wrapped into a cocoon of pure darkness. Almost like… Aha!

"YOU MAY BE STRONGER THAN I BUT YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE!" L-sama, do they always have to boom like this? That is more annoying and distracting than the actual power. "You wish," I muttered and shoved Anya behind me. The sphere of blackness began to expand and I rushed forward in what must have looked like an attempt of suicide. Drawing on my reserves I quickly chanted the boosting spell to activate my blood talismans. When the first phrase of the incantation left my lips a thick energy beam leapt from what had once been a human shape.

"Oh Lord of the Darkness and Four Worlds, I beseech thy fragments; by all the power thou possesseth…" I could have cast an enhanced Dragu Slave. That would have protected me along with Rack and Anya in the eye of the storm… That is if I have wanted the backlash to not only level Sunnydale but sent an earthquake along the west coast that would be mentioned in the history books a thousand years from here. Brutal and naked power was not always the answer.

"… grant the heavens' wrath to my hand; unleash the sword of dark, freezing nothingness…" The sphere of an infinite void bypassing even that of the dealer's aura was slowly beginning to shift and form into a new shape between my hands. It grew larger, more defined and yet not. "… by our power, our combined might… "A blade, but the edges were blurry, constantly in motion and never solid. "… let us walk as one along the path of destruction!" The lethal beam was almost upon me as I brought my arms up and cried out the final words to ignite my strongest spell save for one that I prayed never to be forced to cast again.

"LAGUNA BLADE!"

The last emotion that Rack, powerful wizard and shady magic dealer, experienced before the blade of naked chaos parted his self-destructive attack in two and before it slashed right through the practically impenetrable shield of magic around him was utter disbelief.

(Dawn)

Everything was silent in the house as I tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen. Awoken for the third time this night I had decided to get something to drink and maybe to eat before trying to sleep again. I wished I could have contributed more to this night's crisis, then I would probably be as spent as the girls. Worry had practically eaten me alive, along with the feeling of helplessness. Sometimes I really wished I could be more than just "the kid that everyone has to protect". I'm almost sixteen for God's sake, Buffy had been slaying by this time already.

I slipped past the couch, not wanting to wake the stranger who had introduced himself as Daryial, a friend of Anya's though it disturbed me that the ex-demon knew a dragon and never had mentioned it… The house was becoming more and more crowded lately and Mom would probably get a fit when she knew how many people came and left on a frequent basis. Tonight room had actually become an issue. With the newcomer and the girl who would obviously stay as well… I had promptly shushed off Xander to take Buffy's room. Since she was out cold in Willow and Tara's bed she couldn't say anything. I suppose it was a magic thing or something, it better be a magic thing. I didn't want my sister messing up the chances of my two favorite witches getting back together. And just a picture of all three of them… Eww!

"Huh?" The couch was empty as I noticed now. Cold too. Anya's friend must have been gone already, maybe to look for her and the other girl. Shrugging my shoulders I got myself a glass of apple juice and set down at the kitchen table.  I doubted sleep would come so easily. So maybe I should sit here for awhile, calm my mind and such things… As if this every works when it should.

"Hey, Dawn, can't sleep either?" Xander's voice came from the kitchen entrance and I looked up to see him standing just there, looking probably as bad I did. I gave him a weak smile. "Nah. Too much on my mind." He trotted over and got himself something to drink as well. "Yeah, kinda gets you freaked when you have no idea what is going on, you know?" I confirmed with a nod that I indeed knew.

There was silence for a few moments as we quietly nibbled on our drinks. I glanced over cautiously and corrected my earlier assumption. He looked far worse than I felt or could ever look. Next to the confusion deep lines of worry were showing. Reaching out with one hand, I took one of his and squeezed briefly. "I'm sure Anya is alright. This girl seemed to know what she was doing." I wasn't even sure what she had been doing, only that it was some kind of magic. Xander looked at me and in the light of the dim kitchen lamp I could have sworn that a brief look of fear flickered over his face. "That's not that I'm worried about. She…" He trailed off and I thought that was some adult stuff again, that I wasn't supposed to know. Well, I wouldn't be giving ground on this. "What?" I pressed, fixing him with a stare which Xander completely ignored since he was looking down.

Finally the young man who had always been more of an actual friend to me when the others heaved a sigh. "I was on my way here when some vamps attacked. If Anya hadn't flown by and practically scorched them I would have been meat by now." Eww, bad visual, Xand-man… Wait a minute! "What do you mean with scorched?" I couldn't quite imagine Anya carrying a torch or something around and with what… "Magic. Some kind of heavy, flashy lightning spell. Burnt them alive." Oh. "Oh," I said aloud. A moment later the rest sunk in. Oh my god!

I might be a teenager still but I am by no means dumb. I didn't have a relationship yet but got a lot of experience from watching those around me already. "You are worried that whatever her sudden burst in magic means might alienate you from her." Xander looked up again sharply and stared at me surprised and maybe even a little proud, before dropping his head back down. "Yes, Dawn. Exactly that."

(Anya)

A sharp wind whistled through the narrow alley, carrying the smell of burnt and charged air away. Other than the sounds of ragged breathing and the wind the area was bathed in creepy silence. I still stood where I did a minute or more ago, hands half-outstretched in a vain attempt to protect us from Rack's suicide attack. It had become unnecessary. Frighteningly unnecessary. My eyes were glued on the figure kneeling on the ground, the power around her was slowly discharging as she channeled it back to… wherever it came from. This hadn't be a simple spell after all. Had this even been a spell?

L-sama, she was POWERFUL! What I had witnessed would have been deemed impossible for a mere human in my time. Those were powers that rivaled, maybe even surpassed that of a Mazoku. The spell, that Laguna Blade, was pure chaos. Energy taken directly from the Sea. It called upon the highest source of Black Magic and that alone was an achievement that called for the title of a Master Mage. And there I thought I had been good in the old days…

Finally Lina stood up and brushed off her clothing. The thick cloak and typical clothing of a travelling mage seemed somewhat out of place in this part of the world. Lina moaned audibly and rubbed her temples. "Haven't done that in a long time. I almost forgot how much that takes out of you." She looked up at me and grinned, posing dramatically. "Impressed?" I simply nodded, not trusting my voice yet.

The sound of flapping wings snapped me out of my shocked state. I glanced upwards to see Daryial making his descent, morphing back into human form and levitating the rest into the narrow back alley. "I see," he said with a look towards Lina, "that you succeeded in bringing down the sorcerer." Lina rolled her eyes. "As if there was ever any doubt about it." My friend simply smiled. "Ah, but of course. Nothing less of the great Lina Inverse."

"Lina INVERSE?" My head was spinning and wasn't able to process all the new information. This information sent me reeling. I knew about the infamous Dra-mata from my time as Anyanka. Since the old land was Mazoku territory I wasn't really active there but I had always kept a close eye on my home. And even if not. Everyone knew about Lina Inverse, slayer of Hellmaster Fibrizo, not to mention Demon Lord Dark Star and of course that one seventh of Shabranigdu… I should have known. There are not so many people named Lina with that abilities and the name was rooted in Japan I think. So, even less chances of a coincidence. The realization simply hadn't come. No wonder Rack was practically without a serious chance. The person in question just smiled wryly at my surprised outburst.

"Indeed, Anya. I did tell you that you had everything necessary to avert the prophecy already at hand." The look he received clearly indicated that I was not convinced, maybe a little more hopeful, but not convinced. "Prophecy?" Lina asked curiously, walking over to us. "The Crossing," I replied curtly to which the red-haired mage boggled. An eyebrow raised, her tone was quite disbelieving. "Excuse me? I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. I have a magic addict to train, there is no time for prophecies."

"I wasn't joking." Daryial's laugh bellowed through the alley and Lina looked stricken. "You really have to work on this bluntness problem of yours." I swatted the dragon on the arm. "That's how I am, can't change it." After a period of silence Lina sighed heavily and swinging her arms wildly around, a rant was soon spilling from her lips. "Great. As something would ever go the easy way. You'll owe me for that Giles…"

I shut out her rant and turned to Daryial. "So, what do we do now?" My old friend's smile did not waver. "This is in your hands. I have merely been a messenger and must return to my home." Blinking, I stared at him, my anger quickly rising. "WHAT? You are leaving?!? But we need every help we can get! This is the ultimate thread we are speaking about here! You can't just go and do other things as if nothing is happening!" As always that didn't do any good. "This is not my fight, Sister. My kin will stand by to do their part of the prophecy if it ever comes to the worst but until then the fate of your world is in your hands." With a warm, reassuring smile – which failed miserably to have the desire effect – and a respectful bow to Lina he took of into the air and soon a golden-tinted dragon took of into the distance.

Lina had been following the exchange and Daryial's departure with an exasperated expression and now simply rolled her eyes. "Dragons! I tell you they are too damn lazy to do something themselves for a change!" I could only agree.

(Buffy)

Sunlight filtered through the curtains and brushed over eyelids, forcing them to blink open against their will. Hmm, this feel nice. Nice, fluffy Willow pillow, those arms around me are nice to… Uh… The train of thought began to register through the haze of sleep and I think I had to be congratulated for staying completely still instead of jumping right under the ceiling. Memories slowly came floating back. Last night, I staked Spike – Wow! –, then there was Scar… Lina. And then we had found Willow near death. Lina, Tara and I had somehow managed to bring her back, I wasn't quite sure how.

"Willow was right when she said you are always up early." I turned slowly in the loose embrace and managed to spot Tara hovering halfway up over my best friend and smiling down at me with one her patent smiles that could light up a room. "Feeling better?" Not quite sure what to answer, I simply nodded. Glancing at Willow who was peacefully sleeping, snuggled up against Tara and in the process with her front brushing against me, I thought about how odd that looked. Not to mention what an impression that could give. My own feelings for the redhead were not helping the matter.

"I, um… What…?" _Okay, that was lame Summers._ Looking up at Tara I was a little startled to find compassion in her blue eyes instead of the jealously I feared to find there. She ought to know, she had to know. After last night I was sure she knew what Willow meant to me. Did she know why I would never do anything too? Tara smiled gently and reached out to touch my shoulder with one hand. I felt strangely at peace. "Don't worry about it. She just likes to snuggles. Did this even before we were together." An image of Willow snuggling up to a shy Tara during a harmless sleepover at her dorm popped into my mind and I could not help but laugh… Which in turn managed to wake up a grumpy Willow, who proved the point by snuggling closer to me since her girlfriend had pulled back a little. I must have blushed madly but Tara didn't give a sign that she had noticed.

"Whazzsofunny?" Regaining my composure I grinned at my best friend. Tara was hard not to burst into giggles… and failing miserably. Willow did not response for several seconds and I had almost thought she had fallen back to sleep before raising her head and leveling a full-fledged Willow pout at the blonde wiccan. "Oh," I decided to answer her incoherent question. "Tara was just telling me that you are a notorious snuggle person." Willow froze for a moment and then slowly turned around to find me grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Of course that only served to further put Willow off. And soon the trademark Willow pout turned into a trademark babble that even I could not quite decipher.

The main message, however, wasn't lost on us and it was Tara pulling Willow back into a tight embrace that helped end the redhead's rambling. I tried hard not to look as the blonde Wiccan whispered something into Willow's ear and turned her around for a short kiss. I could feel a tingle run up my spine. What the…? Whatever worries my best friend were apparently flung out of the window. "I'm sorry, Buffy. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." I waved her apology off and feeling in the mood to tease for some reason, told her that I indeed had felt quite comfortable. Willow blushed at that and Tara softly smiled.

"Ok," I said seriously, calming my own nerves, especially with the closeness of the two women. _Just harmless snuggles with your two favorite witches, Buffy, nothing to get… excited about. Yeah sure._ Anyway, serious, right. "So, before we break into the usual routine of asking if everyone is alright, I think since we are all still alive it is safe to assume that we came out well from last night, considering the circumstances. You, Willow, got yourself a teacher and you two are getting back together. So everything's fine." Maybe I was averting. Was I averting? Nah. I let my head fall back on the pillow satisfied with my logic.

"And you?" Tara asked not scolding but very softly. Damn, I had been averting. "Everything is fine." Didn't help that Willow chose that moment to gasp and huge me tightly I could feel her breasts pressing into my back as I tried to turn away and head to fight of a sudden wave of heat. "Oh Goddess, Buffy, I remember. I'm so sorry, I failed you completely. That spell must have went completely wrong." Hah? What was Willow talking about, I turned and tried to get a look at my friend's face but she kept on avoiding my inquiring gaze.

"Willow, what are you talking about?" I was completely at a loss here. When Willow looked at me with tear-stained eyes I think I felt my heart melt and was ready to forgive her anything, whatever it was that she thought to have messed up. "I… When you… we were outside and I could see you for a moment… I could see it. Your soul… it is…"

"I know," I quietly interrupted, hugging her tightly. Tara did the same from the other side, stroking her fingers through red strands. "Baby, you couldn't have known. Buffy asked me to research the spell because… of that and I didn't find it. I could blame myself as much as you for not seeing it but that won't help Buffy now." I smiled at the blonde wiccan, glad for her support and understanding. That had helped me immensely in the last months. "It's alright, Tara. I feel a lot better already. I… He isn't a problem anymore anyway."

Tara was relieved, while Willow was simply confused. "Who are we talking about?" I hesitated, not sure whether or not share this so soon. It was not as if anybody knew about it, other than Tara and Lina. But I hated lying to my friends, I still knew from past experience that secrets always were lifted in the worst moments. And I DID feel better. Just being here with Willow and Tara was lifting my spirits immensely. I hadn't been like this morning ever since I came back. Not even close. Maybe it was a side effect of the magic… or maybe I was just looking for excuses.

"Spike," I said flatly and flustered at the same time. We had sat up by now and I was looking down into my lap. "Spike? What about Spike?" I could practically see Willow looking back and forth between me and her girlfriend. "I… I… uh…" _Damn, Summers, get a grip. This is your best friend. And this is the best chance to talk about those things you had since you began that horrible tryst._ Taking a deep breath, my voice was still shaking as I answered her. "I slept with Spike. I… I let him use me just to get some feeling inside of me." I spat the last words out and the more I thought about it, the more I realized how sick the whole thing had been.

There was silence for a LONG time. Then, after an eternity of agonizing waiting, Willow uttered a single, "Oh," then added, "Did it help?" Leave it to Willow to make the most unexpected common. "No." I could feel her draw me into another hug. Dimly aware that Willow's arms weren't the only ones supporting the embrace, I relaxed in the familiar feeling of support and peace for a moment or two, before detangling myself from the two wiccans.

"You said he wasn't a problem anymore?" Tara asked cautiously. "Yeah, did you finally stake him. I always thought you wouldn't since he was defenseless," Willow added. "He could hurt me," I said quietly, not really counting on our closeness and for my friend to hear. "What? How? Oh, it's because of the…" I stopped the ramble with a sigh and by giving her hand a firm squeeze. "That's what Lina said too. I think she was in a similar situation once."

"Lina?" Willow asked and I realized that she had no idea about her new teacher's ability since she only saw her briefly, right on the threshold of death. "Giles sent her. I think she's sort of your new teacher." THAT got the redhead to blink. "She is?"

"You need help, Sweetie. I thought…"

"You? You called, Giles?" Even though I think it was mentioned last night, I was as surprised as Willow. Sensing that this was apparently turning into a magic discussion and therefore nearing the critical part of their breakup I decided to slip out of the bed and quietly give them some privacy. Neither of them seemed to notice. Sometimes Slayer stealth is a neat thing.

(Xander)

I wasn't worried. No really, I was not. She had after all blasted a vamp last night as if it was nothing. So what should I be worried about? "I'm not worried," I muttered under my breath. Dawn who was sitting nearby sighed exasperated. "Sure, Xander. You are not worried." I looked at the teen strangely and then just resumed my walk around the living room that had the only purpose to get some blood running in my sleep-yearning limbs. Really. I didn't get more than three hours troubled sleep this night at best and Dawn wasn't better off. This in itself wasn't such an unusual thing for a typical Sunnydale crisis night but work had been hard and when I came back home I was ready to drop dead. I wasn't worried, I just needed some sleep.

That of course was why I literally jumped out of my skin when I heard the front door opening and my head snapped around audibly in a way I was surprised not to break my neck in the process. Disappointed flooded through me as I only saw the redhead from last night poking her head inside but that was immediately changed when Anya followed her through the door. She seemed rather agitated about something and kept glancing almost in awe at the stranger. Besides that she seemed alright… Which of course didn't prevent me from checking.

"An, are you alright. You… I…" Okay, maybe I was a little worried. Just a little bit. But I wouldn't admit that. After all I had to uphold certain standards for the only male present at the moment. My fiancée nodded quietly and I was startled to find her reaching up to briefly touch my cheek. "I'm okay, Xander. I didn't even do very much." I let go of a breath I wasn't aware of holding. "So, this Rack guy is history?"

"Yes!" Anya exclaimed a little too loudly for my tired senses and quickly launched into a praise rant that I wasn't able to proceed more than the basic message from. The stranger, a Lina Inverse, was as it seemed somewhat a legend among the demons, more like a feared legend. A very powerful witch… sorceress and that she was totally cool in Anya's opinion.

"So, why are you here?" I asked Lina after Anya finally run out of breath. The newcomer had watched the whole thing with mild amusement. "Your friend Tara called Giles because of Willow and I'm sort of in his debt. So I'm here to help her come to terms with her magic," she answered with a yawn. It seemed I wasn't the only one who was tired here. "Come to terms with it? I thought she said she wanted to quit?" I shuddered a little under the intense gaze suddenly leveled upon me. "You can't just _quit_ magic. It doesn't work that way. Magic means power and power comes always with a price. It can either demand responsibilities or consume a person."

I nodded slowly. "So, it's like The Force?" I quipped, half-joking. "Exactly." Okay, one point for Xander. Score!

"You all look like hell, you know?" Buffy's voice came from the stairs and I turned around to see the blonde slayer walking into the living room. Was it just me or had she adapted a certain… skip in her step. "And you look better than ever," Dawn commented, obviously taking note of the same thing and promptly yawned as well. "I feel a lot better actually. Why don't you all get a few hours of sleep in. I believe we have much to discuss but I'm sure especially Lina and Anya are tired from their battle." Glancing over at Anya I felt a little guilty about noticing she was exhausted as well. Maybe she really didn't do that much as she claimed but staying up all night didn't go without visible signs as well.

None of us was able to argue with Buffy's suggestion and so I grabbed Anya and we promptly snuggled up on the couch while Dawn trotted upstairs. I could see Buffy and Lina hovering at the stairs for a moment, quietly talking in a way that made me somewhat suspicious. Then the redhead went off to the phone, only to come back a few minutes later to follow Dawn upstairs.

(Giles)

Putting back the phone on the receiver I could not tell if my day had been worse before or after the phone call. The information Lina had given me were jumbled and you were clearly able to tell that she was tired. I hadn't expected things going so out of control on the night of her arrival already… Then again, her own youth had probably been as wild as mine. Willow's condition had deeply worried me and Lina's assurance that she was alright for the moment did not help my own guilt. I should really have done something earlier, Ripper or not. Those children had looked up to me like a father and I had always considered them as such. What father turned away when their kids needed them the most?

I was secretly glad that Lina and Buffy apparently got along well and very openly glad about the demise of Rack and Spike, though she clearly avoided details about the latter. That was not my business anyway. I had hoped that Lina's own past would give her some clue how to deal with my Slayer's reintegration problem and from what I had been able to read between the lines of her short report, they seemed to get along well.

Up to this point it had only been a matter of increased guilt and worry, mixed with a little relief. That would have not prompted me to reschedule my flight for the next morning to tonight. Mentioning of this damn prophecy did. Now I was frantically packing the rest of my clothes while with one hand reaching for the phone again. I might regret this later but I had no illusions that this would be anything like Glory. No, Glory was an infant compared to this.

The dial tone came up a couple of times before a click could be heard. "It's me," I answered the man on the other side. "Listen, we have no time nor the room for trading verbal jabs. I've just got off the phone with Mrs. Inverse. It seemed several hints by people she trusts enough with this sort of information have been dropped that The prophecy is in motion." A pause and a question. "Yes, I am speaking of The Crossing." It was amusing to witness how people would go from being sulky to serious. I would have smiled if the situation hadn't been so humorless.

"I want every available text on this sent to me. And have the other one released. Can that be arranged?" A long pause as expected. I was reluctant to do this without Buffy's consent but we could not afford taking this lightly, even if it turned out to be nothing after all – which I think all of us would prefer much more. "Yes, Angel said she made remarkable progress. I think the risk is acceptable," I answered the other man. "Alright. I am flying tonight. Be prepared… for the worst." With that I cut the connection and sat down on the bed, suddenly feeling a lot older.

Why now? Everything over there was already so grim. They were in no shape to face this, not even with Lina helping. And now I had set the redheaded sorceress right into the middle of it. I knew she didn't want to do this sort of thing anymore. The temptation was still there, would always be and it scared me to think of what she was capable… of what she could be capable when leaving all restraints behind. This could backfire badly. However, it was done now and Lina was never one to back down from a challenge. She would face this with my kids come hell and high water. Maybe it was a good thing after all…

I stood and took down an old, dusty book from the many shelves. Opening the ancient volume I searched for my own copy of The Crossing. I should be prepared when I got back to Sunnydale.

(Tara)

Goddess, that was even harder than I thought it would be. Buffy had slipped away quietly and I was still debating with myself whether this was a good or bad thing. The blonde Slayer's presence had been calming and relaxing at the same time. None of us had laughed so freely ever since Buffy dived into that vortex… probably even some time before that. I hadn't wanted this moment to end, yet this conversation had to come, both us knew that.

Gathering my courage I lifted my head, ending the staring period at the bed sheets. "Yes, Willow. I called Giles." That old stubbornness and disbelief shown through for a moment. For that brief fraction of time I thought she would accuse me of distrusting her which I didn't. I just distrusted her addiction. There was a difference after all.

Quickly the surely sharp remark faded from my girlfriend's lips and she just dropped her gaze. "Oh." After some time she added cautiously: "Why?" I think she knew as well as me that this question didn't need to be answered but for her sanity's sake she probably had to ask. "Because this can't go on. Everything is not right anymore, for a long time actually. We all know it but are unable to do something. You need help, Willow, you can't fight this addiction all by yourself." I was proud of myself to have said that without a stutter. Willow didn't need insecure Tara now, she needed a strong, supporting partner. One that I had not been when it counted.

"And that is why you left me?" The sentence was out before she could stop it and I could see her flinch slightly but at the same time a certain resolve building. The pointed sarcasm was hitting too close to home for my liking. "N-No… Willow, I-I…" Damn stutter. "I… You can't just drop the magic, it doesn't work that way. You n-need to get it under control." Of course that was just the wrong thing to say in this situation. The redhead's head snapped up and even though her answer was only softly whispered, it echoed in my heart over and over again, threatening to shatter right there and then. "You told me to stop."

I inched backwards slowly, not able to face the tired and somewhat bitter expression on my lover's face. That was going all wrong. I was supposed to forgive her, be angry for a little time but forgive her in the end and everything would be fine. But nothing had been fine lately. Had it ever been? Had I ever been the person that Willow wanted, hadn't it always been… _Stop it, Tara! This is not helping. Willow loves you and she needs you now._ Taking a deep breath I tried calming my nerves but everything that came out was a choked sob, as tears unbidden formed in my eyes.

"Tara? Baby?" I turned away from the suddenly worried tone in Willow's voice. A heavy pang of guilt and overwhelming sadness overflowed me as the picture alone on that park bench a few days ago came to mind. That had been the final straw to my flawed resolve. It had taken all my strength not to just rush over there and beg for forgiveness. "Tara?" I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and almost jerked away. Willow hesitated for a moment but then moved before I could react. I melted into the familiar and oh so missed embrace with no reluctance at all.

"I didn't mean to snap at you… It's just… I am…" Before she could finish I finally let go of the emotions and tears. Burying my head in the nightshirt I had somehow managed to put onto her last night, the words came from alone, bubbling out like a fountain. "Goddess, Willow, I'm so sorry. I know, I shouldn't have said that and I know I should have been strong for you. But I couldn't, it was just too much and… and… I saw you two days ago on that park bench…" Willow gasped and started to say something but I didn't stop to let her talk. "Y-You were so miserable and I just thought what a coward I h-had been to bolt. I'm the girlfriend, I am supposed to be strong for you if necessary. Even when I left it tore my heart apart, I couldn't help t-thinking about you. And everything we saw each other, I cried myself to sleep these nights…"

I trailed off, looking up at my girlfriend who was struggling with her own feelings. Her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. I know that she just wanted to do something but hesitated, unsure of what to do. There was an uncomfortable silence that both us clearly yearned to break. "There is so much to talk about, so much to deal with and forget but…" Anya and the strangers news from yesterday evening sprang to my mind suddenly. Would our problems really be insignificant compared to this? No. No, they couldn't be because like we were now none of us was able to face what was coming.

"Can't you just kiss me now?" I asked in a tiny, almost inaudible noise. Willow heard though and complied. Leaning forward I met her halfway with my own lips and felt that strong sense of belonging envelope me again. Yes, there would be a lot to talk about. Hard feelings to work through, however, for now I was home. Right there I belonged. We both were.

(Xander)

The mists were thick and concealing everything outside of an immediate two to three feet radius from sight. The air was equally most, filled with the typical smell of thickness you often encountered on heated summer mornings just before dawn. A few trees could be spotted through the white and gray haze but if it was a forest, a park or just a few single trees was yet to be seen. The pronunciation lay on seen.

I think I was dreaming although I wondered if it didn't defy the concept that I could tell that. However, it was either that or someone had brought me here and I would really pretend the dreaming alternative. Alone and disorientated I walked through the mists, tasting thick wetness on my lips time and time again. My steps were not purposeful but pulled into a specific direction, as if something was calling out to me.

After some wandering the mists seemed to clear away, revealing an island of clarity in which a massive stone altar – I guessed – stood. It seemed heavy and as I stepped closer noted that it was going up to chest level. Hovering – and I mean HOVERING – over the altar was a single sword. A golden hilt with an emerald embedded in it and a gleaming blade of the lightest silver I had ever seen.

The weapon was, said with one word, simply beautiful. There was a feeling as if it was actually alive, I could feel some kind of energy flowing even though I wasn't even sensitive for this sort of thing. I had seen all sorts of weapons in my "career" as a Slayerette, this one, however, awed me for some strange reason that I could not identify.

Tentatively I reached out. I wasn't sure if I should even touch this thing. It never came to it anyway. "Don't," a distinctive female voice came from behind and I pulled my hand back as if the air around the sword itself was electrified. I whirled around to face the owner of the voice and boggled at the sight. The woman was tiny, even a lot smaller than Buffy. Her body though in definitely good and trained shape was lean and surely agile. That in itself wouldn't have been so unnerving if the stranger wouldn't have possessed that angular face and the long, pointed ears. Light violet hair gleamed in the dimmed light filtering through the mists and a set of the most enthralling and exotic eyes greeted me with a inhuman kindness. The pupils were perfectly white, there was not a trace of black, only a tint of gold or was that silver? I wasn't able to clearly tell.

"Wha…? Who? Where?" I babbled out, feeling totally out of place and even more confused than I felt this morning before trying to catch up on some sleep. "All very important question from which none of that has to concern you right now. The Why though would be more important." Did nobody give a straight answer anymore? What was it with people these days? Did they always have to be that cryptic?

The woman – girl? – chuckled. "I am merely following certain necessities. I am not as annoying as Xellos… I hope." Not that that helped ANY to clear up at least some confusion. I could vaguely make the connection of the name to the person who had dropped in our apartment.

The elf – I assumed after all that she was one – looked apologetic. "Your question will be answered soon, Warrior. It is, however, necessary to know if you are ready to face what is to come. You will play an important role in the upcoming struggle that will test your limits physically, mentally and emotional." I held up my hands in a frantic gesture to stop the flow of even more confusing information. "Wait a minute? What struggle? What do I have to do with it? What the hell is that all about?!?" I had the feeling that everybody knew already what was going on except me. I didn't like being out of the loop of things, even if I wasn't able to provide much to the quickly growing very powerful Scoobies.

"But you do, young warrior. Your heart is strong and you have the spirit of a great fighter. You WILL be of much help to your friends." I eyed the elf suspiciously. She hadn't answered my questions again. Slowly I became clearly frustrated. "Are you willing to take the responsibilities that come with power as your friends have already been faced to do. I can provide you with such power and skill beyond your imagination. But remember power always comes with a price."

At first I was always ready to jump at the chance of being able to help my friends. I always had felt inadequate compared to the Slayer and the two witches, even my fiancée was an ex-demon who possessed great knowledge – and probably a lot more that I wasn't sure about. However, Willow's trip down the darker realms of magic came unbidden back to my mind as did Lina's words from this morning, only enforcing the stranger's warning. Still… She seemed genuine in her offer and I KNEW there was no evil intent whatsoever. No manipulating. She was giving me a choice with this…

"What will happen when I refuse?" The woman stared at me intently for several moments, as if seeing right through me and into my heart. "Your friends quite possible will die."

I had no choice after all.

(Willow)

It was about an hour later that I came down the stairs. Tara was lightly asleep though I suspected it would not be much longer. Mostly silence greeted me and I spotted Xander and Anya out like a light snuggled together on the couch. Pausing slightly I studied them for awhile and took a double-take. I could almost feel the powerful and clearly not flawed aura of magic around her. It seemed there was more going on around here than I had realized. Much more. Xander turned a little in his sleep and there was a deep expression of worry engraved in his face. Suddenly there was a spike of power that made me jump.

"Willow?" I spun around, ready to unleash a bolt of lightning from my fingertips. Buffy was standing behind me and my best friend took a careful step back. I breathed in deeply, my nerves had been almost fried and I hadn't been in a good shape with the talk with Tara earlier to begin with. "Don't do that," I snapped, not harshly but irritate. The Slayer shook her head. "Geez, Willow. I can understand that with everything going on, we all are a bit jumpy. But what was that all about?"

"Xander just spiked?" A lifted eyebrow answered me and I sighed, realizing that my friend hadn't understood a word. "I've become quite good with reading auras. That has more to do with experience than with magic, so I didn't do any…" Buffy stopped my babble with a smile. "Willow, you don't need to explain it to me. I trust you. Yes, you made a mistake, a lot of mistakes. But we all do them over and over again. That is only human. Hell, I can't even count how often I did something stupid. I trust though that you learned something out of this." I nodded quietly to her statement. I did learn something alright. And almost lost everything important in the process. But Buffy had made clear that she was ready to forgive me, whenever I was actually ready to accept it.

"Thanks, but Dawn probably won't speak a word to me ever again." Buffy laughed lightly to my annoyance, eliciting a pout from me. "Yeah, laugh at the miserable Willow, will you?" Reaching out with one hand she touched my shoulder briefly, then totally unexpected pulled me into a quick hug. It felt nice, almost like Tara… The thought startled me but I did not dare to pull away. I hadn't even fully admitted it to myself but I think I loved Buffy as much as I did Tara and I always got the feeling that the blonde Slayer knew it exactly. The time just never seemed right and now I was with Tara. A relationship that was the most wonderful thing in my young life.

"Don't worry about the squirt. She can be a pest sometimes but I think she forgave you already. She's just having a hard time admitting that to herself." Hopefully Buffy knew her sister as well as she claimed, otherwise I would probably have a hard time coming into the good graces of the younger Summers again. She had barely spoken a word in my direction ever since the accident and I tried avoiding being alone with her in the house. It was simply too awkward.

"So what was that about Xander being spiked? Funny choice of words actually." I choked back laughter and slipped out of Buffy's embrace to look at the couple again. "First off Anya has some sort of heavy magic aura. We all know that her spells often are worse than what I did before finding Tara." I cringed briefly at one particular memory with that Will Be Done spell. "But what I can see now clearly is rooted in experience. And I can safely tell you it hadn't been there a few days ago. Then again, she could have shielded herself..."

Nodding silently, Buffy said: "She went after Lina last night when she got out to confront Rack. They returned just an hour ago. Xander and Dawn didn't get much sleep either." Understandable. Xander was probably worried sick and confused like hell with all what had been going on… Waitaminute! Confront Rack? He was… My mind jumped back to a brief sensation I had when waking up in the night. Goddess, when this Lina was THAT powerful – and I remembered seeing her aura yesterday – and she was here to teach me… Boy, that would be interesting.

"Alright, Xander," I said aloud, startling Buffy after a period of silence, deciding to file back the question about Rack for a later time. "Just before you came there was a brief power spike around him. Nothing magical at all but something has happened to him and now…" I narrowed my eyes. "He is literally buzzing with some kind of untapped energy."

To underline my words a heavy looking sword, with a green hilt and a long blade decided to pop into existence – along with a matching scabbard – and clattered to the ground making both of us jump this time and succeeding in waking up Xander and Anya rather unpleasantly.

Slowly I began to wonder if fighting this magic problem was really the worst of my problems. I could practically smell a prophecy brewing…

END PART 2

Well that last few scenes were written quicker than I thought. Maia seems to be as much on a roll here as she had been with Mistletoes in December… Well, I'm completely at her mercy anyway, so who am I to complain?

Again this was a good point to end. I never really wanted to divide this in chapters or parts, it just makes the posting easier, So, if some parts in the future are longer or shorter than the previous, I try to make the cuts where they seem appropriate.

Before I begin with notes to this part. One or two things to clear up from the previous part. I have no idea about Paganism despite what seen in the show or read in fiction, so The Crossing is my own idea and does not exist anywhere to my knowledge (though I wouldn't be surprised if it did, you never know). Bear with me, I'm not good at writing prophecies but I'll try my best.

I repeat myself probably but sometimes readers jump to the weirdest conclusion. This is NOT a Buffy/Willow or Buffy/Willow/Tara-CENTERED fic. Which doesn't mean that there won't be interaction and honest feelings between them but I intend to focus on the pairings defined in the header. Whatever goes beyond this will be a development in the story and fans of either B/W and/or B/W/T will get something later on. The relationships per se will stay defined though. Just to clear any confusion from the start about the scenes of interaction between the girls in this part. From the next one onward I will focus more on Willow and Tara reconciling and of course getting Buffy and Lina closer.

Since we are at the topic. Was the Willow/Tara scene any good? I usually don't write or particular read stories with them outside triad fics and I'm not sure if I get them good or not. You can tell me if it was horrible, honestly, as long as you say what aggravated you. That often helps more than false praise. Not that I want to say I take any praise as false…

I told Sabrina (a reviewer over from ff.net/newest member of my group) that already. Daryial will be back, eventually. I don't invent characters and then drop them again. I just have to think up away to effectively bring him back into the plot (which I have surprising rather well planned out to a certain point).

Since most of this part has been adding even more secrets and questions, I think that was all. No, I don't answer questions about Lina or Anya's past or something like that. Where would be the fun, eh?

More of the prophecy, reestablishing and building relationship next time. And don't worry you won't get rid of Xellos so easily… Not that this would ever be possible.

Constructive criticism, death threats or any other form of feedback to the address in the header or simply place a review wherever you find this. 

Ja ne, yours

Matthias


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